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The Kigali government says it intends to restore state control in the conflict-ridden province at the request of Mozambican authorities.
Rwanda has begun deploying 1,000 forces to Mozambique to help combat the escalation of gas-rich violence in northern Cape Delgado.
The announcement came on Friday that the 16-member South African Development Community (SADC) last month approved the deployment of joint forces in Mozambique to respond to the nearly four-year conflict, which has killed about 3,000 people and displaced nearly 800,000. half of them are children.
The Rwandan government said in a statement that Rwandan soldiers who are not members of the SADC would fight alongside Mozambican forces and SADC troops.
“The Rwandan contingent will support efforts to restore the authority of the state of Mozambique through combat and security operations, as well as stabilization and security sector reform,” he added.
Rwanda deploys a joint force to Mozambique. Read the full statement and background here: https://t.co/ezhoBGZyG5 pic.twitter.com/JexdejubEB
– Government of Rwanda (@RwandaGov) July 9, 2021
Rwandan defense force spokesman Ronald Rwivanga told Reuters news agency that the new forces would be fully deployed by Saturday.
He said the Rwandan contingent is made up of members of the police and troops trained in Cape Delgado to “deal with issues related to terrorism and security”.
Alexandre Raymakers, a UK-based global risk adviser at UK-based Verisk Maplecroft Africa, believes the Rwandan contingent can be used to secure key liquefied natural gas (LNG) sites in an effort to delay international investors.
“Rwandan security forces have developed a reputation for being a high-capacity combat force,” he said.
But, he added, “the presence of multiple military missions, as a potential Rwandan contingent and SADC, is likely to lead to conflicting priorities and frictions at the military command level, generally hampering them.”
Analysts say attacks by the armed group known as al-Shabab have intensified steadily in Cape Delgado province since October 2017, the origin of which analysts say is due to local political, religious and economic disagreements.
The sophistication of the attacks has also increased.
ISIL-linked fighters (ISIS) have explored cities and gained control of key roads, destroyed infrastructure and cut off civilians. In some cases, local people have been forced to their level or taken as sex slaves.
Since August 2020, the fighters have controlled the key town of the port of Mocimboa da Praia, while in March they carried out a coordinated attack on the town of Palma, displacing tens of thousands and displacing tens of thousands, and forcing the French energy company Total. canceled the $ 20 billion LNG project.
The government has sent thousands of troops to fight fighters in Cape Delgadora, but analysts have long warned that Mozambique’s army is historically weak, poorly trained and ill-equipped.
The World Food Program has warned of a growing hunger crisis as nearly a million people need food aid.
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