The intervention of the SADC Military Mission (SAMIM) in the Northern Operational Theater has allowed the terrorist attacks to subside, allowing around 80% of the population to return to their areas of origin, according to the Minister of National Defense, Cristóvão Chume.

Chume was speaking during the opening on Wednesday in Maputo of the "Conference on Lessons Learned for the Future: Conflict Prevention and Peace Building in the SADC Region", organized by the Directorate of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs.

According to the head of the defense portfolio, the gains brought by SAMIM go beyond the operational domain, "and include the socio-economic component, having allowed around 80 % of the population to return to their areas of origin, as well as the investment".

During his speech, Chume highlighted SAMIM's advances which have resulted in the dismantling of the terrorists' central bases; the recapture of key terrain and a significant reduction in the terrorist group's combat potential; the capture of weapons, tactical and doctrinal manuals from the terrorists; the elimination of operational commanders in combat; the rescue of kidnapped people (women, children and the elderly); the establishment of security belts in critical infrastructures, including those for hydrocarbon exploration; and the reinforcement of border surveillance to prevent the entry and exit of terrorists and their logistics.

"These gains have allowed the restoration of favorable security conditions for the gradual return of the population to their areas of origin, the resumption of the normal functioning of institutions and economic activities," he said.