- Rwandan Army Chief of Staff visited Cabo Delgado days after reported casualties among his country’s troops
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – The military escort along the Macomia–Awasse stretch of National Road N380, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, remains suspended following a major insurgent attack that occurred on Sunday, 22 February.
For more than a week, road traffic to northern Cabo Delgado has been diverted via the Montepuez–Mueda route, a long, dirt-road journey that has significantly increased travel time and costs.
Local sources in the town of Macomia said that on Friday (27 February), a commander of the Rapid Intervention Unit, UIR (the Mozambican riot police), promised that traffic would resume the following day. In an initial phase, police officers would accompany the owners of vehicles abandoned in the area of the V Congresso village, whose tyres have been punctured.
Several mechanics have been in the town of Macomia for days, ready to travel to the attack site on the N380 to recover the trucks, some of which were carrying supplies intended for humanitarian support in northern Cabo Delgado. However, for security reasons, the operation has not yet been completed.
Meanwhile, the Rwandan Defence Force Chief of Staff, Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, visited his country’s troops in Cabo Delgado on 26 February. He first stopped in Pemba, where he met with the Commander of the Mozambican Army, Major General André Rafael Mahunguane, and paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Cabo Delgado, Valigy Taubo. He then travelled to Mocímboa da Praia, the headquarters of Rwandan forces in the province.
According to an official statement, General Nyakarundi’s visit was intended to reaffirm ongoing security cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism. However, it is noteworthy that the visit took place days after a major insurgent attack on a convoy escorted by Rwandan troops and that, according to Islamic State propaganda, six Rwandan soldiers were killed in the ambush. (MT)
