Rwandan and Mozambican Troops Shove Off Insurgents
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Alaina
- . August 9, 2021
- . Update: August 10, 2021 3:32 pm
Confirmed reports state that the Rwandan and Mozambican troops have been able to reclaim a key port city from Islamist militants in northern Mozambique. The key port city Mocímboa da Praia is home to one of Africa’s biggest gas fields and therefore a key win for the Rwandan military.
Insurgency has been ongoing since 2017. Since then, more than 3000 people have lost their lives and 8 million have been displaced. According to a formal statement by the Force spokesperson Col. Ronald Rwivanga, “this is a big win for the forces as the port was the last stronghold of the insurgents, marking the end of the first phase of counter-insurgency operations.”
After quite a fight, there is intervention of foreign forces too. But this might not deter the whole insurgency situation. Poor co-ordination between multiple international and regional forces battling jihadists in Somalia and the Sahel has led to problems. ‘What look like significant military victories can be illusory.’
The government had tried to avoid the foreign interference. But it realized it could not keep the insurgents out with their help either. What started in 2017, literally took over the whole country in 2020. The epicenter was the Cabo Delgado province; and foreign oil majors started to suspend their operations in here.
Today, almost a million people face severe hunger, according to the UN’s World Food Programme, which has appealed to donors in a bid to raise $82m to confront the crisis. By mid-February of this year, according to the World Bank, 798 incidents of conflict had been recorded in the gas-rich province in four years, with nearly 4,000 deaths and 600,000 refugees.
As of now, forces have gained control. But the peace may not remain for long for a nation that is made up of simple farmers who don’t know how to fight these mindless insurgents.
