Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Southern African military mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) has shot 20 rebels and recorded three casualties since it began operations to support Mozambican forces in the fight against the armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the head of the mission said.
The balance, which includes the capture of five other rebels, is the result of operations carried out by SAMIM forces since 9 August, when the mission began fighting acts of terrorism and violent extremism in northern Cabo Delgado, said Mpho Molomo, head of the mission, at a press conference in Maputo on Thursday.
Without giving details of the operations on the ground, the head of mission indicated that the force’s strategies to eradicate terrorism in Cabo Delgado are proceeding satisfactorily, with bases of the armed groups being deactivated. Still, it is essential to ensure that the causes of the insurgency are also eliminated.
“We need to eradicate the causes of terrorism, and if you look at the scenario, you will see that the issues of youth unemployment exist and must be addressed,” Mpho Molomo said.
On the other hand, he continued, humanitarian assistance for displaced populations remains a challenge, and the international community’s involvement is critical.
“There is a great need for support concerning humanitarian assistance. We invite our international cooperation partners to support us in every possible way because we understand that lasting peace in Mozambique cannot be guaranteed only in the military,” the SAMIM head of the mission said.
Although he did not give figures, the head of the SADC mission said that the presence of troops from member countries of the community in Cabo Delgado had very high costs, especially now with the extension of the mission, which initially ran until 15 October 2021 and now extends for another three months.
The extension of the SADC military mission was announced on Saturday at the end of the Extraordinary Troika Summit of the Southern African Development Community plus the Republic of Mozambique, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, held in Pretoria, the South African capital.
Since July, the offensive by government troops with external support has made it possible to increase security, recovering several areas of Cabo Delgado where there were rebels, including the town of Mocímboa da Praia, which had been occupied since August 2020.
In addition to the SADC, the Mozambican forces are supported by Rwandan soldiers and police as part of defence cooperation between the two states.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but terrorised by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the 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.
