<\/p>\n
The agreement follows reports that Belgium had pushed for discussions on the deployment within EU institutions. Earlier this year, Rwanda warned that troops could be withdrawn if sustainable funding was not secured.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Independent Political Analyst and Strategic Risk Adviser Marisa Louren\u00e7o said Rwanda\u2019s deployment has been the most effective response to the insurgency in northern Mozambique since violence escalated in Cabo Delgado.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Louren\u00e7o, previous attempts by Mozambique to contain the insurgency through its own military forces and private military contractors failed to achieve lasting results.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o said Rwandan forces have succeeded in retaking towns previously controlled by insurgents and have helped secure areas surrounding major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the province.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o warned that Rwanda\u2019s withdrawal could create a significant security vacuum, particularly around strategic energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout the Rwandans there, what would actually happen to some of these key sites in Cabo Delgado linked to the massive LNG projects?\u201d Louren\u00e7o said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite years of training and capacity-building efforts, Louren\u00e7o argued that the Mozambican military still lacks the operational effectiveness required to contain the insurgency independently.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o said Mozambique has become heavily dependent on Rwanda\u2019s presence and has struggled to address long-standing challenges within its security forces, including resource constraints, low morale and limited local knowledge among deployed personnel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o noted that while the EU will not continue direct support for the Rwandan mission, assistance to Mozambique\u2019s military is expected to continue until the end of the year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The new funding arrangement comes amid growing tensions between Rwanda and some Western partners over allegations of Kigali\u2019s involvement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o said Rwanda\u2019s relationship with Western governments has deteriorated in recent years, contributing to divisions within the EU over continued support for the Cabo Delgado mission.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While Mozambique may seek alternative security partnerships, Louren\u00e7o said finding another country willing to deploy troops on the ground at the same scale as Rwanda would be difficult.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o added that the situation in Cabo Delgado differs significantly from the conflict in eastern DRC, arguing that Rwanda\u2019s presence in Mozambique is focused on maintaining influence in Southern Africa rather than territorial ambitions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louren\u00e7o said the agreement highlights both Rwanda\u2019s growing regional influence and Mozambique\u2019s continued reliance on external security support to contain the insurgency.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":36164,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-36163","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Rwanda and Mozambique have agreed to maintain Rwanda\u2019s security deployment in Cabo Delgado under a new Mozambique-led funding mechanism, reducing reliance on direct European Union (EU) financing and limiting external political influence over the mission.","published_date":"","news_description":"Rwanda and Mozambique have agreed to maintain Rwanda\u2019s security deployment in Cabo Delgado under a new Mozambique-led funding mechanism, reducing reliance on direct European Union (EU) financing and limiting external political influence over the mission.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36165,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/36163\/revisions\/36165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=36163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}