AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE – The forgotten conflict in the north is increasingly at the center of the interests of African and non-African powers

AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE — The forgotten conflict of the north is increasingly at center of the interests both of African and non African power

Maputo (Agenzia Fides – Northern Mozambique, where Sister Maria De Coppi, a Comboni missionary, was killed in the attack on Chipene mission on September 6, 2002 (see Fides, 7/9/2022). This area is increasingly the focus of the interest of different States.
The threat to the provinces of Cabo delgado (where Chipene is found) and Nampula (where Chipene lives) is real.
insurrection of jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province (ISCAP – Mozambique). According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the conflict has already displaced more 800,000 people and killed 4,000.
Mozambique, Tanzania, and Mozambique signed a joint agreement to fight jihadists on September 21st.
Some Tanzanian border towns were hit. An intervention force from the SADC, Southern African Development Community, called SAMIM in Mozambique (SADC Mission In Mozambique), and a Rwandan military contingent have been deployed to northern Mozambique.
Non-African powers provide financial assistance for Mozambique’s African forces. This is the case with the European Union. The President of the Committee on Security and Defense of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau (Frenchwoman) stated that she was contemplating supplying “lethal weapon” to SANIM. SANIM already receives 89million euros in “non lethal aid” and 15million euros in financial assistance from the EU as part of the European Union’s military training mission (EUTM Mozambique). The EU is also in the process of financing the operations of the Rwandan contingent at Mozambique with 20 millions euros.
South Africa is one the biggest contributors of SANIM. Cyril Ramaphosa the president of South Africa has asked for assistance from the United States to counter the insurgency occurring in Mozambique. South Africa is concerned about Mozambican instability spreading into other countries in this region. But, it is most concerned about protecting its investments in the country, especially in the energy sector.
The US government announced in April that Mozambique had been selected as a “priority country for the national conflict prevention strategy”.
For some time, the US military has been training their Mozambican counterparts.
The large oil-and-gas reserves located in the northern part of the country are becoming increasingly strategic in the European strategy of looking for alternatives to Russian natural gas. It is no accident that multinational oil companies from France, Italy and other countries are involved in their exploitation. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2022)

Share: