Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Rwandan armed forces on Thursday announced the deaths of 14 islamist terrorists in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado between 24 and 28 July.
At a press conference in Kigali, the spokesperson of the Rwandan army, Col Ronald Rwivanga, said the operations took place between Mbau and Awasse, in Mocimboa da Praia district. Awasse was seized from terrorist hands after the destruction of a major terrorist base in the region.
Rwivanga said that, in addition to killing 14 terrorists, the Rwandan units seized a variety of military equipment, which he listed in great detail, as well as communication equipment, including a laptop computer with texts written in Kiswahili.
None of the Rwandan soldiers were killed in these clashes. One was injured and needed medical treatment. While he was being taken to hospital, said Rwivanga, “we fell into an ambush, but we fired back and killed two of them”.
Asked about the Rwandan claims on Friday, the Chief of Staff of the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM), Joaquim Mangrasse, confirmed the operations, but insisted they were the work of combined Mozambican-Rwandan forces.
Rwivanga’s press conference was highly professional, going into considerable detail about the operations, and against the back drop of a map of the northern districts of Cabo Delgado, allowing him to pinpoint Awasse and Mbau.
Watch the report by Kigali Today (no subtitles).
Meanwhile, Mozambique’ National Human Rights Commission (CNDR) has called on the government to adopt measures that will guarantee healthy coexistence between the foreign military forces in Cabo Delgado, and the local population.
Speaking on Thursday at a round table in Maputo on “Foreign Military Presence: Risks and Challenges in the Protection of Human Rights and Democratic Space in Cabo Delgado”, the CNDR chairperson, Luis Bitone, warned there might be “incalculable consequences”, if the government did not take appropriate measures.
Cultural factors and communication were key elements to guarantee harmony between the foreign forces and the population, he said. The fact that most of the foreign forces do not speak Portuguese, let alone any local Cabo Delgado language, “could bring serious problems, if there are any failings in communication, and could lead to intolerance”.
Bitone thought it important to insert the troops into the communities so that they understand the culture of the population. If no care is taken over such aspects, there could be “unexpected consequences”, he said.
