European Union (EU) foreign ministers have approved the launch of a military training mission to train and support Mozambique’s armed forces battling a jihadist insurgency in the country’s troubled Cabo Delgado region.
In a statement following their meeting in Brussels on Monday, the ministers said the aim of the mission is “to train and support the Mozambican armed forces in protecting the civilian population and restoring safety and security in the Cabo Delgado province.”
“The mandate of the mission will initially last two years. During this period, its strategic objective will be to support the capacity building of the units of the Mozambican armed forces that will be part of a future Quick Reaction Force,” they said.
The head of EU mission would be provided by Portugal, which is already providing training for Mozambican troops.
Lisbon’s military instructors on the ground are expected to make up some half of the new EU mission.
A deadly insurgency by Islamic State-linked militants has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since October 2017, claiming more than 2,800 lives and displacing some 732,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The Southern African Development Community last month approved the deployment of forces to assist Mozambican forces battle the jihadists.
JN/APA