Portuguese Brigadier General João Carlos de Bastos Jorge Gonçalves, a former F-16 pilot in the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), will now lead the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ)..

According to an EUTM-MOZ statement quoted by Lusa, the transfer of command ceremony for the mission, currently led by Marine Commodore Rogério Paulo Figueira Martins de Brito, is scheduled for Friday, September 15, at the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique headquarters in Maputo, and will be presided over by Lieutenant General Michiel Van Der Lann, director of the European Union's (EU) Military Planning and Conduct Capability.

According to the FAP, in a statement released on Tuesday, Brigadier General João Carlos de Bastos Jorge Gonçalves, 54, previously commanded the Azores Air Zone and was director of Air Operations for the Air Command. Before that, he was an instructor pilot and, among other skills, flew more than 1,600 hours in F-16 aircraft and was fully qualified in the F-16A.

The current commander of this training mission in Mozambique, the Portuguese Rogério Martins de Brito, said on July 26 that the Mozambican special forces trained by the EU to fight "terrorism" in Cabo Delgado are performing "extremely well" on the ground.

"The information at the moment is extremely positive, it is differentiating, it is, in fact, remunerative for what is the general effort of the FADM [Mozambique Armed Defense Forces] in Cabo Delgado," he said.

Trained to be quick reaction forces (QRF) and adapted to the challenges posed by the insurgency in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, the elements of these units are endowed with special characteristics such as high mobility, readiness, flexibility, interoperability and command and control capabilities, he said.

According to Martins de Brito, the QRF's actions in Cabo Delgado have been reported to EUTM-MOZ by the FADM command and by the military missions of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda, which are also fighting the rebels in that province.

Admitting that the actions of the units in question have seen "some small failures", he warned that the "eradication of terrorism" will not be achieved by using the QRF alone, because this type of device is designed for "surgical operations" and does not act like regular forces, which are prepared for the occupation of territory and routine patrols.

The EUTM-MOZ commander pointed out that the Mozambican special forces are involved in offensive actions against the rebels, as part of a joint operation with the Mozambican, SADC and Rwandan regular forces.

"Since I arrived [to head the mission] ten months ago, I've seen clear improvements in coordination, command, communication, mobility and interoperability," Rogério Martins Brito emphasized at the time.

With a two-year mandate starting in September 2022, EUTM will evaluate the future of its presence in Mozambique with the Mozambican authorities by the end of this year, but it has already trained around 60 Mozambican instructors who will continue training the country's special forces, he said.

In addition to providing operational training to the QRF, EUTM-MOZ has also supplied combat equipment to members of these units, with the value of the material support provided already exceeding 80 million euros.

EUTM-MOZ's mandate provides for the formation of 11 Mozambican QRF units, each of which has a composition equivalent to a military company.

The current mission is made up of a contingent of 117 people, 65 of whom are from Portugal, which is also in command of EUTM-MOZ.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing armed insurgency for almost six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.