Zimbabwe To Send 300 Soldiers To Mozambique
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri says Zimbabwe has pledged 304 soldiers to the SADC Standby Force Mission in Mozambique to train an infantry battalion size unit.
Recently Rwanda deployed nearly 1,000-strong forces in Mozambique to help it combat violence in the gas-rich northern Cabo Delgado province.
The deployment came after Southern African Development Community (SADC) last month approved the deployment of joint forces to help Mozambique respond to the nearly four-year-old conflict, which has killed some 3,000 people and displaced almost 800,000, half of whom are children.
Briefing journalists at Defence Headquarters in Harare yesterday, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the contingent will consist of 303 instructors and one specialist officer to the coordinating mechanism of the SADC Force Headquarters in Maputo.
“While other countries have to deploy combat troops, Zimbabwe pledged to assist in the training of Mozambique armed forces to enhance their capability to combat terrorism,” she said.
She said the contingent will be sent to Mozambique once the Status of Force Agreement has been signed.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said in terms of Section 214 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Parliament will be informed accordingly.
Since August 2020, the terrorists have been in control of the key port town of Mocimboa da Praia, while in March, they launched a coordinated assault on Palma town, killing dozens and displacing tens of thousands, while also forcing the French energy firm Total to suspend its $20bn LNG project.
Mozambique’s coastal Cabo Delgado province, where the recent attacks are taking place, is endowed with rich natural resources. In 2011, natural gas fields valued at approximately $150bn were discovered about 40 kms (30 miles) off the Cabo Delgado coast.
Today, Cabo Delgado is home to Africa’s three largest Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) projects: the Mozambique LNG Project (Total, formerly Anadarko) worth $20bn, Coral FLNG Project (ENI and ExxonMobil) worth $4.7bn, and Rovuma LNG Project (ExxonMobil, ENI and CNPC) worth $30bn.