Mozambique, Rwanda Armies Retake Key Jihadist-held Town
By AFP - Agence France Presse
August 8, 2021
Rwanda deployed 1,000 troops to help Mozambique combat jihadist forces
Simon Wohlfahrt
ADDS Mozambique defence ministry quotes, background
Mozambican forces backed by Rwandan troops on Sunday said they had driven out jihadists occupying the key port town of Mocimboa da Praia in the gas-rich north of the country.
Mozambique's defence ministry confirmed an earlier tweet by Rwanda's army that the joint force had wrested control of the town on Sunday morning.
They now control government buildings, the port, airport, hospital, and other key installations, Colonel Omar Saranga, a ministry spokesman, told a press conference in the Mozambican capital Maputo.
The port town, from where the first Islamist attacks were staged in October 2017, has since last year become the de-facto headquarters of the Islamic State-linked extremists, locally referred to as Al-Shabab.
Mocimboa da Praia "was the last stronghold of the insurgents" and its recapture marks "the end of the first phase of counter-insurgency operations," Colonel Ronald Rwivanga, a spokesman for the joint military force, said in a text message.
Mozambican forces have been struggling to regain control over the northern Cabo Delgado province, site of one of Africa's biggest liquefied natural gas project -- a $20 billion site operated by French energy major Total.
Rwanda sent 1,000 troops last month to shore up the Mozambican military.
Last week they claimed their first success since deploying, saying they had helped the Mozambican army regain control of Awasse -- a small but also strategic settlement near Mocimboa da Praia.