'Mozambique doesn't have money to finance joint forces of Rwanda, SADC in Cabo Delgado' - President

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”.