The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has extended its military mission fighting armed insurgents in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado for another year, the regional body announced on Wednesday.
According to a SADC press release, the decision was taken during an extraordinary summit of the troika of SADC heads of state and government, which met virtually on Wednesday in which Mozambique was represented by President Filipe Nyusi.
The troika said that security has improved substantially in Cabo Delgado with the gradual return of internal displaced people to their areas of origin. It is against this background that SAMIM (SADC Mission in Mozambique)’s military mission has been extended.
Comment
Despite assurances from Rwandan President Paul Kagame that “maybe 80 percent of the (insurgency) problem has been addressed” and triumphalist statements from Mozambique’s Police Commissioner Bernardino Rafael, the insurgents still have operational and logistic initiative.
This is borne out of statements from police in Nampula, a province neighbouring Cabo Delgado in the south, to the effect that the insurgents are continuing in their drive to swell the ranks of the terrorist group; and recent attacks and ambushes on FADM (Mozambique’s Armed and Defence Force) positions, resulting in a death toll of ten, according to official sources – however, Mozambique Insights sources claim that more soldiers were either killed, disappeared or were wounded.
Logistically, the insurgents have scaled up their use of drones and reconnaissance missions before attacking a position.
The localities of Mucojo and Quiterajo and the Kathupa forest, in the coastal Macomia district have also seen insurgency activities, which would attest to its strengthen rather than weakness.
Apart from the operation costs arising from SADC troika’s extending the deployment of SAMIM in Cabo Delgado, it is important to ask why SAMIM forces never or hardly carry out operations to chase after the insurgents (there have been reports of insurgents passing through areas adjacent to South African troops, in Macomia, and Sotho forces, in Nangade). Apparently, only the Rwandan contingent engage in such operations and the insurgents even avoid going into positions occupied by the RDF.
Since SAMIM has strong intelligence-gathering capabilities, why up to now the names of the insurgency’s political backers, financiers and their objective are still not known?
Furthermore, what happened to talk of negotiations? Seemingly, this preposition has been placed in the back burner.
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