Escola Primaria de Ntotwe, a rural primary school located about 25 kilometers from Mocimboa da Praia municipality was, on Tuesday, June 11, handed over to local authorities after being refurbished by Rwandan troops.

The Rwanda Security Force Joint Task Force Commander in Mozambique, Maj Gen Alex Kagame, on Tuesday presided over the handover ceremony of the primary school that was set ablaze by terrorists when they attacked and dispersed inhabitants of the village in January.

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When the school was attacked and burnt down by terrorists, Rwandan troops pledged to renovate it. During the handover ceremony attended by more than 3,000 area residents and authorities, 1,000 exercise books and 1,000 pens were also delivered to 500 pupils. The teachers were given notebooks and pens, while expecting mothers in the village also got 680 mosquito nets.

More troops

Rwanda has deployed more soldiers to help fight attacks by Islamic State-linked terrorists in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique’s northernmost province. Earlier, this year, Kigali "bolstered” the number of forces in the districts of Palma, Mocimboa da Praia and Ancuabe, with an additional 2,000 troops in order to be able to "flexibly move to other areas and be able to quickly flush out the remnants of terrorists that are hidden in forests in Mocamia District.”

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Maj Gen Alex Kagame commended the district leadership for collaborating with Rwandan security forces and assured the people of security. He called on residents to provide timely information on suspicious terrorist activities.

The District Administrator of Mocimboa da Praia, Sergio Domingo Cypriano, who spoke on behalf of the government of Mozambique, thanked the Rwandan and Mozambican Security Forces for successfully dislodging and defeating insurgents and bringing back normalcy to the people of Cabo Delgado.

He further requested parents to send their children to schools and remain collaborative with Rwandan and Mozambican security forces.

At Maputo’s request, Kigali deployed troops in July 2021 to help fight Islamist terrorists who had, for several years, destabilised Cabo Delgado, a region located on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

By end last year, more than 250,000 people earlier displaced by Islamic State-linked terrorists in the most affected parts of Cabo Delgado had returned to their homes and, sea and air ports were re-opened, thanks to joint operations by Rwandan and Mozambican armies.