The first European Union (EU) military mission in Mozambique, dedicated to training troops to face the armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado, starts today with an official ceremony at the Katembe Independent Fusiliers Company, Maputo.
The two-year mission, which will have 140 military trainers, is in response to the Mozambican government's request for help in preparing its troops.
The northern province of Cabo Delgado has been the target of armed attacks, which in March led to the suspension of key gas projects for the country.
The region faces a humanitarian crisis with 817,000 displaced people, according to government figures, in a conflict with 3,100 dead according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
The staff of the mission will not be involved in military operations, but will consist of about 140 soldiers divided between two training centers, one for commandos in Campo Militar do Dongo (Chimoio, center of the country) and another for marines in Katembe, on the opposite side of the capital in Maputo bay.
"The mission's mandate is expected to last two years. During this period, its strategic objective is to support the capacity building of units of the Mozambican armed forces that will be part of a future rapid reaction force," the Council of the European Union announced on October 15.
The mission will provide specialized training on counter-terrorism and on the protection of civilians, especially women and girls, with attention to the fulfillment of human rights, following numerous reports that they were violated several times during the conflict.
The defense ministers of Mozambique, Jaime Neto, and Portugal, João Gomes Cravinho, participate in today's ceremony.
The training mission, called EUTM (European Union Training Mission) Mozambique, "will be commanded by Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean, director of the Military Capacity for Planning and Conduct" and, on the ground, "the operational management will be the responsibility of Brigadier General Nuno Lemos Pires, military of the Portuguese Army who will command the force," reads a statement.
Lusa Agency