September 29, (THEWILL) – Rwandan President Paul Kagame, 63, has spoken of his country’s Armed Forces evicting from northern Mozambique a group of vicious Islamic extremists called Ansar al-Sunna.
He told a news conference in the city of Pemba, in the troubled region of Cabo Delgado, that his 1,000-member deployment would help defeat the militants and deal with the causes that have fuelled their growth.
He said: “I don’t see any insurmountable problems here, whether it is fighting against insurgents and at the same time dealing with development matters being talked about. I don’t see any insurmountable problems.”
He spoke against the backdrop of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) making a dramatic impact on the ground after arriving in this impoverished region at the beginning of July.
The Mozambican military had succeeded only in conceding ground –and vital pieces of equipment– to the insurgents as well as losing communities like the port of Mócimboa de Praia which the militants designated as their “capital.”
Also, they temporarily lost control of the town of Palma, which provided accommodation and services to employees at a nearby liquefied natural gas (LNG) project run by French firm Total.
Total declared “force-majeure” on the $20 billion mega-project in April, effectively retreating from their contractual obligations on the basis that it was too dangerous to continue in Cabo Delgado.
However, the Rwandan military has turned the situation around, retaking much of the territory lost to the insurgents in a matter of just six weeks.
Beginning their campaign at Total’s plant on the Alfungi peninsula, which they now use as their headquarters, Kagame’s forces have battled their way down the coast and engaged the insurgents further inland.
The militants managed to hold on to Mócimboa for almost a year but the RDF, working together with Mozambicans, retook it on 8th August, in what is now described as their “D-day”.
At the news conference, which was also attended by the Mozambican head Filipe Nyusi, the Rwandan leader described their mission as “critical” and “costly” but denied receiving any financial support from the French government or Total.
“(As for) others having invited us or paying for us, I wish that was the case,” he said with something approaching a half-smile.
Yet many here worry about what will happen when the Rwandans do decide to leave for there is little confidence in Mozambique’s poorly trained and ill-equipped military.
“What’s your exit plan, how long do you plan to be (here) because you can’t stay forever, you said it was a costly operation?” a reporter asked President Kagame.
“That comes out naturally as progress is made, (as) we change things we are doing and through that we are very free and flexible to deal with matter,” he replied.
Mr Kagame is credited with ending the Rwandan genocide as head of the Rwandan Patriotic Front – and blamed for fuelling conflict and instability in neighbouring Democratic Republic Congo.
