The European Union ambassador to Mozambique has pledged confirmed that the European Union will offer support to the Mozambique government in its battle against waves of terrorist attacks.
The fight against Islamic terrorists has been ongoing since 2017, with the terrorists rampaging numerous districts in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. However, this year the insurgency has gained pace. The Islamic linked terrorist has successfully hit military and strategic targets and seized significant towns.
The confirmation from the European Union arrived in a letter signed by Josep Borrell (European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy). The message to Veronica Macamo, the Mozambican Foreign Minister by The European Union ambassador to Mozambique, Antonio Sanchez-Benedito Gaspar.
This news will come as a massive relief to the Mozambique government. Earlier in September 2020, the government sought help from The European Union for specialist training for their security forces alongside logistics and humanitarian support for its citizens.
According to Antonio Sanchez-Benedito Gaspar, ‘The government of Mozambique has asked for help, and we will give. But it is more aid in terms of training, logistics, and medical services for the forces fighting terrorism in northern Mozambique.
‘So far, all of our efforts have been on the humanitarian emergency and development side. We will continue to make efforts on the security side, which is just beginning.’
‘The European Union confirms its full solidarity with the people and government of Mozambique, in the current situation of armed violence that the country is living through in Cabo Delgado.’
He further stated that The European Union is fully committed to first combatting terrorism and providing humanitarian support for the populace.
Gaspar noted that the European Union’s support has three fundamental pillars: security, development, and humanitarian assistance.
He, however, made it clear that the European Union will not deploy military troops to Mozambique. ‘The Mozambican government was obvious, and this is not on the list. What is on the agenda are other questions that are also very important for strengthening the Mozambican state’s capacities to combat violence in the north.’
Rights group Amnesty International in the previous months has accused the Mozambican army of committing human rights atrocities in Cabo Delgado, the northern conflict zone. However, the minister of defence has dismissed these reports, stating that militants repeatedly impersonated soldiers.
