Filipe Nyusi affirmed that Mozambique is aware of the primary responsibility of defending the national territory and highlighted the advance of government forces fighting the insurgents in Cabo Delgado.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said Friday that the country has an “unwavering determination” to combat the armed insurgency that has plagued the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2017.
“Even with the withdrawal of the military mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Mozambique, which will be completed on July 15our determination to combat terrorism remains unwavering,” said Filipe Nyusi, addressing the deputies of the Zambian parliament, within the framework of the working visit to that neighboring country of Mozambique.
Filipe Nyusi affirmed that Mozambique is aware of the “primary responsibility” to defend the national territory and highlighted the progress of government forces fighting the insurgents in Cabo Delgado.
“The fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado has made significant progress. Our forces, with the support of local forces and SADC and Rwandan forces, are destroying the terrorists’ bases, putting their leaders and agents out of action,” said the Mozambican Head of State.
Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
The last major attack took place on May 10 and 11 in the district headquarters of Macomia, with a hundred insurgents sacking the city, causing several deaths and intense clashes with the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces.
The population of other districts of the province has reported the movement of these groups of insurgents, who cause panic as they pass through the forests, but without any record of clashes, which occurs at times when farmers try to carry out harvesting work in the fields.
The president of Mozambique stated on June 16 that the action of the different defense forces made it possible to eliminate “practically all” the bases of the terrorist groups that operated in Cabo Delgado, which are now limited to “walking through the mountains.”
Filipe Nyusi’s visit to Zambia, which borders Mozambique through the province of Tete (centre), aims to strengthen cooperation between the countries, with emphasis on the port, tourism and energy sectors, and the signing of several memoranda is expected.
Source: Observadora
