The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, begins a two-day visit to Mozambique this Thursday, in which he will meet with the president, Filipe Nyusi, and will deliver non-war material to support the fighting in Cabo Delgado.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) will meet today with the Mozambican Head of State and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Verónica Macamo.
On Friday, Borrell will visit the European Union Military Training Mission (EUTM Mozambique), in the Katembe training camp, on the southern shore of Maputo, “where he will witness the delivery ceremony of material financed by the European Peace Mechanism ”. .
The reinforcement of equipment for the troops that the EU is training has been a request from the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, and includes non-war material, such as uniforms and support material for military logistics on the ground.
On the occasion, Borrell will also participate in the EUTM Mozambique change of command ceremony: Brigadier General Lemos Pires makes way for another Portuguese, Commodore Martins de Brito.
Carlos Almeida, who has been the coordinator of the NGO Helpo in Mozambique since 2010, believes that Josep Borrell’s visit to Mozambique is very important, because it shows Europe’s concern and support.
“Not only investment in security, but also in emergency issues and, above all, in those that affect us the most, which are development issues. We know that the European Union is very concerned about curbing this military problem, but at the same time it is concerned about creating roots and foundations so that, once this security problem has been overcome, it can support people immediately, through emergency interventions and in the development part, allowing areas as important as education to have an intervention”, he defends, in statements to TSF.
Carlos Almeida believes that the attacks in recent days do not have a religious origin, but stresses that they have renewed the population’s feeling of insecurity.
“In the entire province of Cabo Delgado there is great apprehension and every time there is news of a new attack, people have feelings again that, in a way, were already a little masked or even out of date and they have that feeling again. feeling. The fact that these attacks have happened to the province of Nampula, I think, does not cause great panic at the province level, because this is an area very close to the border with Cabo Delgado and, therefore, it fits very well. in attacks that have been made before. There is nothing religious about this attack. Based on the indications we have, the insurgents are desperate for food and looking for something to hold on to in order to continue their embezzlement missions,” he explains.
The mission supports the training of quick reaction units of the Mozambican Defense Forces and has 119 members from 12 countries.
Portugal takes command of the mission and is the country with the largest contingent, currently 68 soldiers from the three branches of the armed forces and the GNR.
The Secretary of State for Defense of Portugal, Marco Capitão Ferreira, is also participating in the event.
In addition to Cabo Delgado, Borrel has an agenda with other issues, such as the implications of the war in Ukraine, specifically the impact on food security and the global geopolitical situation.
On Saturday, Borrell will continue his journey from Mozambique to Kenya.
Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique is rich in natural gas but has been terrorized since 2017 by armed violence, with some attacks claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.
The insurgency provoked a military response a year ago by Rwandan forces and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts close to gas projects, but provoking a new wave of attacks in other, closer areas. to Pemba, the provincial capital, and in the province of Nampula.
There are some 800,000 internally displaced persons due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and some 4,000 dead, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
* News updated at 11:08 am
Source: TSF
