A new set of Rwandan troops is ready for a security operation mission in Mozambique, the country’s security chief has said.
Rwanda’s Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Staff Lt Gen Mubarakh Muganga, on Saturday, July 15, met security forces set to deploy to Cabo Delgado Province, in northern Mozambique.
According to a statement by RDF, the briefing was held at Kami Barracks.
Gen Muganga conveyed to the troops a message from President Paul Kagame, the Commander in Chief of Rwanda Defence Force.
He reminded the troops that commitment and discipline are key to success in operations.
“The mission is still the same; to maintain Mozambican state authority by conducting combat and security operations, as well as stabilization and security sector reform,” the statement read.
He told them that the previous contingents “did a great job and this must be maintained.”
This deployment is based on the good bilateral relations between Rwanda and Mozambique.
The departing Rwanda Security Forces will be under the command of Maj Gen Alexis Kagame, who was appointed earlier in June, replacing Maj Gen Eugene Nkubito who headed Rwandan troops in Cabo Delgado since August 2022.
At the request of the Mozambican government, in July 2021, Rwanda deployed 1,000 military and police officers to Cabo Delgado province where Islamist terrorists had wreaked havoc for half a decade, displacing hundreds of local residents.
Within the first month, Rwandan and Mozambican troops had repulsed the terrorists from major strongholds.
