Denying breathing space to the Islamic State-linked terrorists in Mozambique’s northernmost Province of Cabo Delgado was crucial in weakening and repulsing them from the areas where Rwandan and Mozambican troops operate, Defence and Military Spokesperson, Col Ronald Rwivanga, has said.

Rwivanga on Thursday spoke to the Voice of America’s Kinyarwanda-Kirundi programme, a day after Rwandan and Mozambican military commanders as well as those from the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) held a meeting in Mocimboa da Praia, a key port city in Cabo Delgado Province, and agreed to, among others, enhance intelligence sharing in the fight against the insurgency in their respective designated sectors of responsibility. They also agreed to collaborate in the process of helping people who were previously displaced to return to their homes, resettle and carry on with their normal lives.

Asked about the insurgents’ current fighting capability, Rwivanga noted that they have been weakened and shed some light on how this was achieved.

He said: "It is clear that they were weakened and this is because of the way in which our forces, in cooperation with the Mozambican forces, fought them without giving them breathing space. The problem most armies often have is giving them breathing room. We did not give it to them. And that’s how it should be.

"We deprived them of what we call freedom of action, and freedom of maneuver. There is no breathing space. We don’t even want them to keep any territory where they can do their activities. They use territory to do very bad things; killing people and taking away their property.”

One thousand Rwandan troops were deployed in Cabo Delgado, on July 9, to work closely with Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) and forces from SADC in designated sectors of responsibility.

Barely a month later, swathes of territory and particularly the a key port city of Mocimboa da Praia, which used to be headquarters of the IS-linked insurgency, was captured by Rwandan and Mozambican forces, on August 8.

Peace and stability has returned in areas where Rwandan and Mozambican forces operate and, on August 28, the joint forces started helping hundreds of people previously displaced by the terrorists to return to their homes.

According to Rwivanga, more than 25,000 people have so far returned home and resumed their normal lives in areas like Palma.

Rwandan and Mozambican forces continue mop up operations as well as liberating more civilian captives from remnants of the on-the-run insurgents.

After being repulsed from Palma, Mocimboa da Praia, and Mueda – the regions where Rwandan troops operate from – insurgents escaped southwards, crossed the Messalo, a major river of northeastern Mozambique flowing through Niassa and Cabo Delgado Provinces, into Macomia district which is in the SADC force's designated sector of responsibility. 

The SADC Mission in Mozambique operates in Macomia, Nangade, Muidumbe and Quissanga districts.

Rwivanga said that they now have the task of sharing intelligence "such that whenever the enemy crosses” SADC’s designated sector of responsibility, they act accordingly so that the insurgents "are surrounded from all directions” and eventually fully eliminated.

On October 12, while addressing the ongoing three-day Global Security Forum (GSF) in Doha, Qatar, President Paul Kagame said Rwanda’s troops in Cabo Delgado are now close to 2,000.

Rwandan forces only operate north of the Messalo River in the districts of Palma, Mocimboa da Praia, and Mueda and cannot cross the river and chase insurgents inside the SAMIM designated sectors of responsibility.

Without putting a new time limit, leaders from the SADC bloc on October 5 agreed to extend their military mission – which intervened in Mozambique in July – so as to continue helping the Mozambican government fight the Islamic State-linked insurgency. They extended the mission’s deployment beyond the initial three months which was due to end on October 15.

Cabo Delgado has 16 districts but the ones most affected by the insurgents’ terror activities were Palma, Mocimboa da Praia, Mueda, Mocamia, Muidumbe and Nangade.