Research Briefing | Feb 7, 2022

Sadc forces face headwinds in Cabo Delgado

A recent uptick in militant activity in Cabo Delgado suggests that foreign troops deployed to the insurgency-hit northern province are struggling to consolidate their initial gains. A deployment of some 1,000 Rwandan troops arrived in July 2021, followed shortly thereafter by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Mission in Mozambique (Samim). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said on Friday, February 4, that there was “a recent surge in violence in Cabo Delgado … [and that] since late January, more than 14,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.”

What you will learn:

  • On February 3, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as chairperson of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, visited a military camp in Mueda, Cabo Delgado, the birthplace of Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi.
  • Samim works alongside Mozambican forces and in loose cooperation with a separate deployment of Rwandan soldiers focused mainly on coastal areas where large liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects are located.
  • Concerns have been raised that the initial deployment of special forces has not been reinforced – as promised – by a larger infantry deployment with air and naval support.

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