A delegation of seven MEPs argued yesterday in Maputo that the European Union (EU) should quickly deliver non-lethal military equipment to Mozambican soldiers trained by the EU to fight terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

"We must speed up the delivery of the equipment that has been promised," said, Nathalie Loiseau, president of the European Parliament's Security and Defense subcommittee, speaking at a press conference quoted by Lusa.

Loiseau said that the MEPs will take to Brussels the concern with the need to make available as soon as possible the material resources necessary for the training of the Mozambican military.

The means include vehicles, ammunition for training, military uniforms, and boots, added the head of the delegation, material that began to be delivered on September 9.

She pointed out that the training being provided by EU military trainers is producing the desired results, which translates into the acquisition of skills and coordination capabilities in the fight against armed groups in Cabo Delgado.

"I spoke with the Chief of General Staff [of the Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique] and he was satisfied with the training," he emphasized to Lusa.

Nathalie Loiseau highlighted the record of progress in fighting the insurgency in northern Mozambique, but admitted that challenges to defeating the rebels still remain.

The French MEP stressed the importance of European solidarity in the fight against insurgents, noting that armed groups carry out atrocities against defenseless populations.

The delegation that ended today's two-day visit to Mozambique was composed of seven MEPs from the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defense. They passed through a training camp run by EU military trainers in Chimoio, central Mozambique.

The MEPs met with senior officials of the Mozambican state and with representatives of civil society.

Arnaud Danjean (France), Attila Ara-Kovács (Hungary), Isabel Santos (Portugal), Jaak Madison (Estonia), Lars Patrick Berg (Germany), and Mick Wallace (Ireland) were also part of the Security and Defense subcommittee's delegation.

This visit took place shortly after the visit to Mozambique by the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who, on September 9, delivered in Maputo the first tranche of non-lethal military equipment for Mozambican troops trained by the EU to fight in Cabo Delgado.

"This is the first delivery, more will follow soon," as part of an 89 million euro package (85 plus an initial tranche of four) for equipment, he noted at the time.

All-terrain cargo vehicles and individual equipment such as uniforms, helmets, goggles or canteens, were part of the delivery held at the Katembe military base, on the southern edge of Maputo, one of the sites of the EU military training mission.

The next shipments of support to Mozambique will also have material for combat in the rivers and at sea, he added, stressing that the European support obeys to an integrated vision, which includes economic and social development to restore peace in Cabo Delgado.

From the military point of view, "Mozambique is the first country to receive combat training and material support" simultaneously, under "a new instrument" that is the European Peace Facility - with the objective of making the armed forces self-sustainable, i.e., no longer requiring external support, he noted.

The two-year mission supports the training of 1,100 military personnel, or 11 rapid reaction units of Mozambique's Armed Defense Forces (commandos prepared in Chimoio and marines in Katembe, plus air traffic controllers) and is carried out by 119 members from 12 EU countries.

Portugal is taking command of the mission and is the country with the largest contingent, currently 68 soldiers from the three branches of the armed forces and the GNR.

The common costs of the training action, covered by the European Peace Facility, are estimated at 15 million euros for the two-year period.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but has been terrorized since 2017 by armed violence, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since a year ago by forces from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects, but leading to a new wave of attacks in other areas, closer to Pemba, the provincial capital, and in the neighboring province of Nampula.

There are about 800,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.