The African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) has directed the continental body’s Ethiopia-based secretariat to provided military equipment to Mozambican forces who are battling an insurgency in the north of the country.
In a communique issued at the end of the PSC’s 1062nd meeting and published on Friday, the council reiterated the AU’s support for efforts by the Mozambican government and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to contain an armed insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.
“Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council specifically commends the collective leadership demonstrated by SADC in committing resources and deploying SAMIM (SADC Mission in Mozambique), within the framework of ASF (African Standby Force,” the communique read.
SADC deployed a 3,000-strong force in July 2021 to assist Mozambique to repel attacks by Islamic State-linked insurgency who have been targeting government installations and civilians in Cabo Delgado and surrounding areas since October 2017.
The insurgents have killed over 3,000 people and displaced more than 800,000 others over the past four years.
The PSC also welcomed the contribution of forces by Rwanda to complement Mozambique’s efforts “in the spirit of African solution to African problems.”
It called upon the AU Commission to “promptly provide SADC with the required equipment already identified at the Continental Logistics Base in Douala, Cameroon, to support its efforts through SAMIM and ensure effective implementation of SAMIM’s mandate and tasks”
The AU secretariat was also asked to provide “substantial additional equipment” from the second batch of military aid donated by China to the AU so that this could be used to support the work of SAMIM.
JN/APA