Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Army Chief of Staff Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi along with the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, CP Vincent Sano, on Monday, July 31, saw off Rwanda Security Forces heading to "relieve their colleagues” in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado.

The contingent that left Kigali on Monday, led by Maj. Gen. Alexis Kagame, is part of a force of more than 2,000 Rwandan troops based in Cabo Delgado province.

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"Prior to their departure, Maj Gen Nyakarundi emphasized the importance of upholding the highest level of commitment, discipline, dedication, and humility while serving the population of Cabo Delgado,” the RDF said in a statement.

"This deployment is a result of the strong bilateral relations between the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Mozambique.”

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Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi was in Rwanda at the weekend and met with his counterpart Paul Kagame.

At the request of the Mozambican government, in July 2021, Rwanda deployed 1,000 military and police officers to Cabo Delgado province where Islamist terrorists had wreaked havoc for half a decade, killing civilians and displacing hundreds of thousands.

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Within the first month, Rwandan and Mozambican troops repulsed the terrorists from major strongholds.

By September 2022, more than 130,000 Cabo Delgado residents had returned to their villages in areas where Rwandan and host nation forces operate together.