Rwandan troops arrive in Mozambique to help fight insurgents

 

Rwandan troops have arrived in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province to help battle an insurgency that has rocked the region.

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi confirmed the contingent of 1,000 soldiers and police from Rwanda had arrived in Mueda village following a deal between the two countries.

They will be charged with helping to restore state authority in the region that has not known peace since 2017. This is the first time that President Nyusi has publicly announced Rwanda's involvement in the efforts to fight terrorists in Cabo Delgado.

In a parade with members of the Local Defence and Security Forces (FDS), President Nyusi said that the arrival of the Rwandan troops “has been coordinated with member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)”, of which Rwanda is not a member.

“We asked for support from our friends in Rwanda, and they (troops) have already started arriving today (Friday). We hope that Rwandans work well with our young people," he said, adding that his government “has never refused international support in the fight against terrorism”.

“What happened was that we were still preparing the ground to receive that support,” he said.

On Thursday last week, SADC said it will deploy troops to Cabo Delgado province from July 15 to help quell terrorist attacks.     BY DAILY NATION