The person in charge of European Diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has already initiated contacts with the Government of Pretoria so that the European Union reinforces cooperation with South Africa, taking into account that the terrorist threat has not yet been “totally eliminated” in the north of Mozambique.
Josep Borrell’s spokeswoman, Nabila Massrali, said on Tuesday that contacts are already being made with the South African government to strengthen cooperation.
“South Africa is a key player in a region facing a variety of security and political challenges,” the spokeswoman said. Nabila Massrali added that Brussels is “expanding cooperation on peace and security, especially through EU support to the Southern African Development Community, the military mission in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.”
“The terrorist threat from northern Mozambique has not been completely eliminated and continues to worry us. But Mozambique and the Southern African Development Community and the Rwandan Armed Forces, with the support of EU military training, are developing a new model cooperation,” he said. saying.
Nabila Massrali says that the cooperation with South Africa is part of a direct support package for security in Cabo Delgado that Brussels put into practice in 2022.
“Last year, the EU supported the construction activities of SAMIM [a Comunidade de Desenvolvimento da África Austral em Moçambique]with 1.9 million euros”, said the spokesperson, also recalling that in September 2022 the European Union approved “support for non-lethal equipment (…) worth 15 million euros”.
During the visit to South Africa last week, the HRVP [Alto Representante para a Política Externa e de Segurança Comum] He held a political consultation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor and shared the leadership of the ministerial dialogues between the EU and South Africa.
The South African government already announced this week a meeting that will take place this Tuesday, with members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with a view to discussing the situation in Cabo Delgado.
Since 2017, the northern province of Mozambique has been facing several waves of terrorism, with violent groups terrorizing the population with robberies and looting.
The estimated death toll is around 4,000, after various attacks launched by rebel groups. The attacks have been claimed by the terrorist group calling itself “Islamic State”.
Source: TSF
