BRUSSELS, Belgium
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi today called on the European Union (EU) to finance the military forces of Rwanda and of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the fight against insurgents in Cabo Delgado.
“The combat involves high costs for our partners
(…). They will not continue for a long time, for ever, and operations can
be affected,” if there is no support, he said.
“The European Union is aware,” added Nyusi, at a
press conference as he was leaving Brussels.
The Head of State, who completed a three-day
visit to the European capital, in which he contacted several EU leaders, said:
“We don’t have anything to give, despite a lot of effort. We don’t lack the
will.”
“If we can be part of the joint group that
mobilises support, we will do that”, both with the EU and with “other
partners”,Nyusi said, referring that, just a few days ago, he did so at
the meetings within the African Union summit, in Addis Ababa.
“Within days we will surely have support in terms
of equipment which the EU uses and which is [currently] in Cameroon”,
he said, without further details.
About the situation in Cabo Delgado, the Mozambican
President left some warnings.
“We have made it clear that substantial risks
prevail, although the situation is encouraging, us having occupied the district
headquarters and some [rebel] bases having been fully destroyed,” he told
reporters.
“This situation can, at any moment, evolve again
and expand to other regions of the country and even outside the borders”, he
underlined.
Nyusi stressed that it is in the interest of the
Mozambican government to “ensure the fight against terrorism”, speaking of the
“need to support the intervening parties so that they can carry out their
mission”.
At the same time, the Mozambican President called
for support for the reform of the State in the Défense and Security sector,
which he hopes to “guarantee capacity in the future” and which means “training
and specialisation”.
In the end of January, the head of the EU mission
in Mozambique, aimed at training troops against the armed insurgency in Cabo
Delgado, admitted to support Rwanda, which has troops deployed in the northern
region of the country.
Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean said that Rwanda
requested “greater financial support” and that the head of European diplomacy
“is quite determined to respond favourably”.
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