Counterterrorism: Rwanda to send 1,000 troops to northern Mozambique

The Rwandan Government announced in a statement the dispatching of “1,000 soldiers and police officers to Mozambique to fight terrorism.”

“The government of Rwanda, at the request of the government of Mozambique, will begin today (Friday) the deployment of a contingent of 1,000 soldiers and police officers to Cabo Delgado, a province in Mozambique, currently affected by terrorism and insecurity,” Kigali said.

“The Rwandan contingent will support efforts to restore the authority of the Mozambican state by conducting combat and security operations, as well as stabilization and security sector reform (SSR),” the statement continued.

According to the Rwandan government, these military and police officers sent to Mozambique will work closely with the Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM) and the forces of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

This deployment follows the signing of several agreements between the two countries in 2018. Since October 2017, armed extremists have launched an insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region of northern Mozambique. On March 24, 2021, they seized the town of Palma, murdered dozens of civilians and displaced more than 35,000 residents.