Mozambique: Cabo Delgado - Two Years Since the Palma Invasion
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Loading... - Cumbe abubakar
- 19 Apr 2023
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The attack prompted nations and security companies to help fight one of Africa's most rapidly evolving terrorist hotspots.
For nearly two years, Mozambique resisted the call for foreign military intervention in Cabo Delgado to help fight the insurgency that started in 2017. But when militants stormed the town of Palma in March 2021, forcing construction on the US$20 billion liquefied natural gas project to stop, Maputo had to accept foreign boots on the ground.
President Filipe Nyusi said in December 2020 that offers of help had been received from many countries, highlighting the need to carefully manage this mix of interventions. But two years on, domestic and international security forces in Mozambique are still fragmented.
Rwanda has the largest military and police contingent in Cabo Delgado - about 2 800 personnel. The Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) has about 1 900. These forces technically 'support' Mozambique's security forces. Local militia and several private military companies have helped restore stability, mainly around gas exploration and liquefaction projects. Read More…
