Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Council of the EU on Friday adopted the decision formally launching the military training mission to Mozambique to support the Mozambican forces in the face of armed attacks in Cabo Delgado, which is expected to be fully operational by December.
The Council (which brings together the 27 member states) announced in a statement the formal decision to launch the mission, called EUTM Mozambique, which aims to support “a more efficient and effective response by the Mozambican armed forces to the crisis in the province of Cabo Delgado, by providing training and capacity building”.
The mission will be commanded on the ground by Brigadier-General Lemos Pires and will become operational “as soon as the ongoing transfer of the Portuguese Armed Forces Training Project is completed”, with the EU Council then pointing out that it expects it “to reach full operational capability by mid-December 2021”.
The mission, which will not engage in military operations, will have around 140 military personnel divided between two training centres – one for commando training and the other for marines. Costs for the mission, to be covered through the European Peace Facility, have been assessed at €15.16 million for a period of two years, the expected timeframe for its operations.
“The mission’s strategic objective is to support capacity building of units of the Mozambican armed forces that will be part of a future rapid reaction force,” the statement explains.
It specifies that the mission, which is open to the participation of third countries, will provide military training, including operational readiness, specialised counter-terrorism training, and training and education on the protection of civilians – especially women and girls in conflict –, and will provide compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.
This announcement comes a day after the Government approved the proposal to appoint Brigadier-General Lemos Pires as Commander of EUTM Mozambique, as well as the national contingent that will integrate this mission.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but terrorised by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by extremist group Islamic State.
The conflict has led to more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 817,000 displaced people, according to Mozambican authorities.
Since July, the offensive by government troops with external support has allowed for increased security, recovering several areas of Cabo Delgado where there were rebels, including the town of MocÃmboa da Praia, which had been occupied since August 2020.
EU Military Training Mission in Mozambique set to start its operations
EUTM Mozambique
Press release 15 October 2021
The Council today adopted a decision launching the European Union Military Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique). The mission will support a more efficient and effective response by the Mozambican armed forces to the crisis in the Cabo Delgado province, by providing them with training and capacity building.
EUTM MOZ will become operational as soon as the ongoing handover from the Portuguese Armed Forces Training Project will be concluded, and is expected to reach its full operational capability by mid-December 2021. It will rely on around 140 military personnel divided between two training centres –one for commando training and one for marines.
The common costs for EUTM Mozambique, to be covered via the European Peace Facility, were evaluated at 15.16 million for a period of two years. In addition, the Council approved on 30 July an urgent assistance measure under the European Peace Facility for a total of 4 million to complement the training of military units with the provision of non-lethal individual and collective equipment.
The mandate of the mission is expected to last two years. During this period, its strategic objective is to support the capacity building of the units of the Mozambican armed forces that will be part of a future Quick Reaction Force. In particular, the mission will provide military training including operational preparation, specialised training on counter-terrorism, and training and education on the protection of civilians – especially women and girls in conflict –, and provide compliance with international humanitarian law and human rights law. The mission has a non-executive mandate and will not engage in military operations.
The mission is open to the participation of third states.
The mission commander is the Director of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean, while Brigadier General Nuno Lemos Pires is the EU Mission Force Commander and leads the mission on the ground. The MPCC is the mission headquarters, responsible for the operational planning and conduct of EUTM Mozambique.
On 12 July 2021, the Council adopted a decision setting up EUTM Mozambique. The decision was the EU response to the Mozambican authorities’ request for increased EU engagement in the areas of peace and security. In his letter of 3 June 2021, the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, welcomed the deployment of an EU military training non-executive Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission in the country.
EUTM Mozambique will contribute to the EU’s integrated approach to Cabo Delgado, together with peacebuilding, conflict prevention and dialogue support, humanitarian assistance and development cooperation, as well as the promotion of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Source:
European Council / Press Release
