Foreign troops continue to arrive in Mozambique
Units from Botswana arrived in the capital of the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
Allied troops arrived in Mozambique to assist the local military in the fight against radical Islamist groups.
The military support comes as part of an agreement reached by Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders at a summit in Maputo on June 23. The meeting was attended by heads of countries and ministers.
Earlier, South African military personnel from the reserve forces had already arrived in Mozambique. Eyewitnesses took photos in Pemba showing military personnel being unloaded from a SANDF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Over the past year, Islamist attacks on military positions and civilian settlements have increased significantly. Northern Mozambique is rich in natural gas deposits that could solve the country's poverty problem. However, authorities do not have access to natural resources due to militants occupying the region. In addition, the radicals provoked a migration crisis, forcing thousands of citizens to leave their homes.
Since the Mozambican government army cannot independently resolve the issue with the radicals, it was decided to attract foreign forces from the SADC allies. In addition, European instructors will arrive in Mozambique in the fall to train the local army.
The SADC advance team is not involved in direct combat against terrorists, journalists say. Her tasks include advising Mozambican military personnel on intelligence operations.
Mozambique has previously had experience involving foreigners in the fight against militants, which has not led to success. The most effective were the Russians, who provided security during the 2019 presidential elections. According to rumors, these were fighters from the Wagner PMC, who did not allow a single incident and left the country immediately after the vote.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.