"Tanzania didn't refuse to collaborate in fight against Mozambique terrorism" - Government

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Mozambique’s Defense Minister, Cristóvão Chume, has denied that Tanzania initially refused to cooperate with Mozambique in the fight against terrorism.

The Tanzanian Minister of Defense has, for the first time, commented on the presence of Tanzanians in the leadership of the group that operates in Cabo Delgado.

When terrorist attacks began in Mozambique, information circulated that Tanzania was not collaborating in the fight against terrorism in Mozambique, which, according to the minister, is not true.

“I do not recall members of the Government at any time saying that the friendly Republic of Tanzania was not cooperating or cooperating. No discussion carried out outside the formal framework can become a subject of discussion between governments.” He said adding that Tanzania and Mozambique have historic relationships and that the country was the basis for the achievement of Mozambique’s independence.

“Tanzania has always supported Mozambique’s efforts, even in the 16 years’ war. In that war, Tanzanians died in Mozambique and, even today, Tanzanians continue to die in our country in actions to support our country.” the Minister of National Defence said.

O País also confronted the Tanzanian Defense Minister, Stergomena Tax, over the identification of Tanzanians in the leadership of the terrorists operating in Cabo Delgado.

“Terrorists do not respect borders. They have no nationality. They are everywhere, they move from place to place. As I said, some leaders are from Tanzania, but these are from all over the place. What we can say is that Tanzania is committed to fighting terrorism, so we are part of the SADC force that is in Mozambique. We are committed to collaborating with Mozambique and with other entities that are involved in the fight against this evil. So, let’s put aside the idea that the terrorist comes from Tanzania or elsewhere; the terrorist has no nationality.” Tax replied.

In addition to meeting his Mozambican counterpart, the Tanzanian defense minister was scheduled to visit the SADC Regional Cooperation Mechanism Centre, the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) Command, and other locations related to defense and security. - Source: O País