More than 250,000 people earlier displaced by Islamic State-linked terrorists in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado have returned to their homes, thanks to joint operations by Rwanda Security Forces (RSF) and the Mozambican army since 2021.
The coastal region had been ravaged by the Ansar al Sunnah wal Jama’a terrorists who killed more than 4,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands others since 2017.
In July 2021, Rwanda deployed troops to Cabo Delgado, at the request of the Mozambican government. Rwandan troops are deployed to three districts, Mocimboa da Praia, Palma, and Ancuabe.
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"We are committed and well-prepared to ensure security in the areas under our control so that security in Cabo Delgado Province is fully restored,” said the Joint Task Force Commander of the RSF, Maj Gen Alexis Kagame.
He said the troops conduct operations including long-range patrols, mobile operating bases, confidence building patrols, fighting patrols, ambushes, and joint operations with the Mozambican Armed Defence Forces (FADM) and troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
"All these operations contributed much to the defeat of the terrorists and, as a result, internally displaced people returned to their homes on the average of 87 per cent,” Kagame said after community work (Umuganda) and medical outreach exercises jointly conducted by the RSF and Mozambican forces in Mocimboa da Praia city on Saturday, December 16.
He said the relationship and the interaction between the local population and the Rwanda Security Forces has been strengthened by outreach programmes like provision of medical service, community work, provision of school materials, and the construction of markets, among others.
"This created trust and good relations between the population, especially in the RSF area of responsibility. The situation of security has been enhanced,” he said, adding that more services have resumed, such as local government administrative offices, health centres, schools, and banks.
Thanks to the joint operations, he said, Mocimboa da Praia saw the reopening of a sea port off the coast of the Indian ocean, and the inauguration of an airport, in October, by President Filipe Nyusi.
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Mocimboa da Praia residents testify to a return to normal.
"We are free to move and we have hope for a better future. The Rwandan soldiers came to our rescue and we have hope,” said Ines Vasco, 29, who benefited from the medical outreach with her daughter, along with over 250 Mocimboa da Praia residents on Saturday.
For Captain Quenton Brink, the manager of the newly refurbished port of Mocimboa da Praia, their operations have not had any disturbance since in 2022 when the port resumed operations.
"The port is currently fully operational. We are what we call a tidal port. We do shipping operations, bringing vessels in and out during the high tides or when there’s efficient water. We&039;ve currently developed three berths and we’ve got a fourth berth still being developed,” he said.
Brink said the port is now fully operational serves two to three vessels a month, on average.
"We’re doing the general type of cargo, but we’ve got the capability of doing containerized cargo,” said.
In terms of security, Brink said he was "very comfortable” with the Rwandan and Mozambican armed forces. "We haven’t had any incidents since I have been on this site.”
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Palma and Mocimboa da Praia Districts have seen most of the displaced people return home.
Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, Rwanda's Defence and Military Spokesperson, said: "Statistically, the figure that we have is, roughly, between 250,000 and 300,000, which in general, appears to be just about half of the total that had left. But in Palma and Mocimboa da Praia, we can say that about 80 per cent have returned back."