Maputo, Sept. 25, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo said on Thursday that the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, should be taken on by the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique (FADM), and not by foreign forces on the ground.
‘We reiterate that, in the fight against terrorism, it is we Mozambicans who must take the lead and not our brothers and friends who come to help us, whom we always thank,’ said Chapo, speaking at the 61st anniversary celebrations of the FADM, in Matola, Maputo province. This date also marks the beginning of the armed struggle in the country against the colonial regime, on 25 September 1964.
"Our veterans of the national liberation struggle had international support, from China, Algeria and so many other countries (...), but those who were always at the forefront of the struggle were the guerrillas of the Mozambique Liberation Front [Frelimo, the party in power since 1975]. That's why, as in the struggle for independence, today the Defence and Security Forces are challenged to position themselves on the front line in the fight against terrorism," Daniel Chapo said.
In Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich province, the Mozambican Armed Forces have been supported in the fight against terrorist groups operating in the region since 2017 by forces from Rwanda and neighboring Tanzania, under a cross-border support agreement. The military mission from the southern African countries left the field in July 2024.
Mozambique and Rwanda signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on 27 August in Kigali, during a visit by the Mozambican head of state, which sets out the rules for the use of Rwandan troops who have been working since 2021 to combat extremist groups that carry out attacks in Cabo Delgado province.
The President of Mozambique stated at the time that the legal instrument does not constitute the creation of a new military agreement and does not entail an increase in the Rwandan contingent in the country.
Currently, the two countries co-operate mainly in the military field, with a force of more than 2,000 Rwandan soldiers fighting extremist groups operating in Cabo Delgado province, particularly protecting the area where French company TotalEnergies has a natural gas exploration project.
Cabo Delgado province has seen an upsurge in attacks by rebel groups since July, targeting the districts of Chiúre, Muidumbe, Quissanga, Ancuabe, Meluco, and, most recently, Mocímboa da Praia, with several deaths reported.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most of them claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, an increase of 36% on the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the US government's Department of Defence.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
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