Portugal's Defence Minister, Helena Carreiras, stressed the importance of continuing and strengthening the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ). During a working visit to Mozambique, where she met her Mozambican counterpart, Cristóvão Chume, the minister highlighted the need to follow up the work already begun by the mission, which is currently under review.
Since September 2022, EUTM-MOZ has had a two-year mandate, and by the end of this year, in partnership with the Mozambican authorities, it will assess the future of its presence in the country. The mission has already trained around 60 Mozambican instructors who will continue the training of special forces, mainly intended for troops on the front line in the fight against the rebels in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique.
EUTM-MOZ, besides providing operational training, has also supplied combat equipment, exceeding 80 million euros in material support. Minister Carreiras stressed the importance of capitalising on the investment made in training 11 companies, expanding the work in the area of consolidating and maintaining the operational cycle, in terms of both training and equipment.
Portugal, which contributes 65 of the 117 members of the EUTM-MOZ contingent and holds command of the mission, remains committed to supporting the renewal or revision of the mission in order to maximise the results of the work already done.
For his part, Mozambique's Defence Minister, Cristóvão Chume, noted progress in controlling the areas worst affected by rebel attacks in Cabo Delgado. He also underlined Mozambique's gratitude for international support, highlighting the role of Portugal, one of the first countries to respond to Mozambique's request for international support.
Cabo Delgado, the scene of an armed insurgency for six years with links to the extremist group Islamic State, has seen a military response supported by international forces, including Rwanda and SADC, which has made it possible to free districts close to the gas projects. However, the region is facing new waves of attacks, including in the neighbouring province of Nampula. The conflict has resulted in around one million displaced people and approximately 4,000 deaths.
