President Paul Kagame of Rwanda arrived in Maputo, Mozambique Friday morning at the start of a two-day working visit intended to deepen bilateral relations, an official source revealed in Kigali.
Another purpose of the visit is to assess the security situation in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province where Rwanda has deployed 1, 000 soldiers and police to conduct combat and security operations against islamist militants.
The deployment came at Mozambique’s request to support efforts to tackle the insurgency.
Mozambique insists that, while it remains committed to working with regional bloc SADC to pacify the northern region, it can partner with other African states to address its security problems.
At least 2,500 civilians have been killed and more than 800,000 displaced since the start of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado in 2017.
The humanitarian situation has quickly deteriorated and there is no end in sight to the attacks.
Rwandan and Mozambican forces on August 8, captured Mocimboa da Praia, a key Mozambican port city that had been the headquarters of the Islamic State-linked group in Cabo Delgado Province since 2015.
After the insurgents’ main stronghold was captured, more than 90 percent of the province has been declared liberated except for very few “pockets” where operations to wipe out the militants are now concentrated.
CU/as/APA