Defence minister of insurgency-hit Mozambique fired

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday sacked defence minister Jaime Neto, without giving a reason or announcing a replacement.

Neto was responsible for managing the country's response to an Islamist insurgency in the country's northernmost province of Cabo Delgado as part of his role.

"The President of the Republic, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi... dismissed through presidential order Jaime Bessa Augusto Neto from the office of the minister of national defence," the government said in a short statement, without elaborating.

Neto could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesperson at his former ministry did not immediately respond to inquiries about how to contact him.

Militants with links to Islamic State have in recent years stepped up attacks in Cabo Delgado, also home to blockbuster oil and gas projects worth some $60 billion.

Mozambique's military was losing ground to the insurgency until it accepted foreign troops from regional bloc the Southern African Development Community and Rwanda, which together helped the country win back lost ground.

Neto's sacking comes a day after Nyusi fired interior minister Amade Miquidade, again without giving a reason for the decision.

Speaking at the end of the training courses for sergeants of the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM, members of the FDS), in Boane district, Maputo province, Filipe Nyusi said that this is an action which has been taking place for some time, though its effects are not immediate.

Even without giving many details, the Commander-in-Chief of the FDS stated that the idea is that the FADM continue to be of excellence for the defence of the motherland and national interests, consolidating itself more and more as the forge of national unity.

To that end, the President said, there is a need to guarantee the National Defence Policy’s successful execution with a range of available staff to help operationalise the transmitted missions.

“In a few days I will elaborate more on this matter, in the context of the restructuring of the Defence and Security Forces”, said the Head of State.

Specifically on the training of FADM sergeants, Nyusi stated that the Government’s expectation is that everything taught in the training reaches all the Armed Forces and is reflected in their tactical and operational functioning.

President Nyusi explained that sergeants play a crucial role in ensuring that the Army is disciplined and well commanded, as they ensure the liaison between officers and soldiers for the benefit of a fully functioning force structure, from bottom to top.

Specifically, the President of the Republic highlighted the fact that the FDS are on the offensive, characterised by the cleaning up and consolidation of their presence in places previously occupied by terrorists in Cabo Delgado, hence the challenge of the sergeants who graduated yesterday is to contribute to the soldiers are in combat readiness.

“I was proud to know that your training was at the North Operational Theatre, where you fought and returned to continue your training. In this sense, I advise you to set an example for soldiers regarding the good practices they have learned and assimilated”, he exhorted.

“It is your task to ensure that Mozambique continues to be an independent, sovereign, united and indivisible, democratic state, with intact territorial integrity, social justice and with its people living in an environment of peace and tranquillity,” he said.