Angolan troops to join Mozambican mission

LUANDA. –The Angolan Parliament on Tuesday approved the integration of Angolan forces into the Southern African Development Community ( SADC)’ s mission for peace in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

Francisco Pereira Furtado, the Angolan minister of state and head of the security house of the president of the republic, told reporters that the Angolan mission will join the forces on August 6. SADC

According to the official, Angola will participate with a team of 20 officers of which two will be in the regional cooperation mechanism, eight officers in the force command and 10 crew members for the IL- 76 military transport aircraft.

He said the Angolan mission will last three months and count on an initial budget of u575,500 U.S. dollars.

Since 2017, the Cabo Delgado region in northern Mozambique has been experiencing terrorism actions.

The Angolan official also expressed concerns towards outbreaks of terrorism in other countries in central and southern Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We must take into account the need for our participation in this mission, given the efforts not only that SADC countries are undertaking, but also those of other countries that do not belong to our region, such as Rwanda,” he said

Meanwhile, Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi has expressed his gratitude to African countries sending troops to help fight insurgents in the country.

Botswana on Monday, was the first country of the 16-nations to dispatch soldiers. Nyusi lauded soldiers already sent by Rwanda as regional allies prepared to deploy their own forces.

“The mandate of foreign forces is to help Mozambican forces restore peace and stability,” President Nyusi said in an address to the nation this week. – Xinhua/africanews.com