Africa-Press – Mozambique. Newly formed independent companies of police special forces have been formed to protect district capitals, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced in the northern city of Nampula on Friday.
He was speaking at a parade where the first 13 of these police companies were presented. Nyusi said they will set off immediately for the districts where they are being stationed. They have been trained to handle complex security situations, such as the terrorist raids that have plagued much of the northern province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017.
“By setting up these companies, the state intends to strengthen, in a pilot phase, the operational capacity of the police to protect people and their property in the provinces and the districts indicated”, he declared.
In the districts affected by terrorism, “we are working to consolidate security and create an appropriate environment for the return of displaced people to safe areas, and for the resumption of normal life”, said the President
Pockets of insecurity continued in Cabo Delgado, he added, despite the enormous progress made in recent months by the Mozambican defence and security forces and their allies from Rwanda and from the Mission in Mozambique of the Southern African Development Community (SAMIM), who have forced the terrorists onto the defensive.
Deploying special police units to the districts, continued Nyusi, is “an imperative response” to the challenges imposed by the pressing need to guarantee public, order, security and tranquility in places where the enemy has been “de-activated” in order to restore economic and social normality.
“The terrorist threat and other challenges”, he continued, “are leading us to strategic and operational re-invention, ever more adapted to concrete realities”.
Initially, the special police units will be stationed in 12 districts. Five of these – Mocimboa da Praia, Palma, Nangade, Muidumbe and Quissanga – are areas severely affected by the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.
The other districts covered, are Mecula and Marrupa in Niassa; Memba and Moma in Nampula; Pebane and Gurue in Zambezia; and Inhassoro in Inhambane.
“In our current concept, the independent company does not have a barracks”, said Nyusi. “Its theatre of operation is everywhere where there is crime”.
“The performance of each district unit, will be judged by the absence of crime or by the high rate of clearing up crimes”, he continued. Although they are independent units “they must maintain the greatest level of coordination with other defence and security forces on the grounds in order to avoid duplication of efforts”.
“They must maintain a permanent state of readiness, and will not be static, since their mission demands greater dynamism”. Nyusi declared.
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