By Paul Fauvet
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - Rwanda and Mozambique will continue their security cooperation in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, according to the Rwandan Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe.
Cited in the Rwandan daily paper “New Times”, the Minister said “This year Rwanda came back to the basics and decided to deal exclusively with the government of Mozambique which, in turn, has secured and will continue to secure the necessary funding for the Rwandan security forces in Cabo Delgado”.
Forces from the Rwandan armed forces and police were deployed to Cabo Delgado in 2021 at the request of the Mozambican government to help fight Islamist terrorism, linked to the Islamic State terror group.
Nduhungirehe claimed that over the following years, the Rwandan troops have helped restore peace and stability, allowing displaced families to return home, and businesses to re-open.
The improved security situation, the Minister said, had allowed European and American companies to resume work on liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.
He admitted that the Rwandan forces had benefitted from the EU’s European Peace Facility (EPF), but the sums received from the EPF were just a fraction of Rwanda’s total expenditure in Cabo Delgado.
Nduhungirehe said Rwanda’s two requests to Brussels for continued support were received “with reluctance”, and “were politicised by some EU member states, including our two former colonial powers”.
He added that there had been “irrational criticism” of Rwanda from countries that had benefitted from improved security in Cabo Delgado (presumably a reference to France).
According to the Minister, the decision to work directly with Mozambique marks a return to the bilateral understanding between the two countries.
The current figures provided by Rwanda are that more than 6,300 Rwandan personnel are deployed in Mozambique, compared to 2,000 at the start of the mission. (PF)
