The European Union mission has already trained more than 1,650 Mozambican marines and commandos.

The European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ), led by Portugal, has trained more than 1,650 Mozambican special forces soldiers who are already fighting terrorism in Cabo Delgado, its commander Luse said this Saturday.

“To date, we have trained just over 1,650 special forces personnel, be they Marines or Commandos (…). We have also trained more than a hundred instructors,” detailed Brigadier João Gonçalves of the Portuguese Air Force. which heads EUTM-MZ, on the sidelines of a ceremony expected this Saturday in Maputo, Europe Day (9 May).

“We are training the Mozambican Defense Forces. [FADM] with instructors so that they are autonomous and continue to support this learning cycle and the life cycle of the QRF itself. [11 Forças de Reação Rápida já formadas]”because they need to be revived,” he added, stressing that the training provided is “considered suitable” by the FADM themselves “for this type of insurgency” in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.

Mozambican commandos and marines trained by EUTM-MOZ are already on the ground while the withdrawal of military forces from southern African countries that have supported Mozambique in the fight against terrorism continues.

“We believe that the training and numbers of soldiers we train are critical in how we approach the conflict in Cabo Delgado,” he stressed, also acknowledging the “very positive” impact of these soldiers on the ground.

“The Mozambican authorities, the elements themselves, the military personnel we trained, expressed great appreciation for the work we did. It is important to note that this has been a continuous evolution and we have had the flexibility and ability to adapt in accordance with the development of both the conflict in the north and FADM’s own needs,” explained Brigadier General João Gonçalves.

He added that the training of soldiers from EU countries “is in the process of constant improvement.”

“Minister of Defense [de Moçambique] Just this week he made very complimentary comments about QRF’s work, which is consistent with the information we have about their level of work,” he also said.

The EUTM-MOZ training mission includes 119 soldiers from 13 member states, more than half of them from Portugal, but its special feature is the integration of two other countries outside the European Union that provide one soldier each, such as Serbia and Cape Green .

“This is a practice that we share with the FADM, and in these special forces units in particular, it is a practice that is slowly eroding and being transferred to other forces, obviously a slower process, but it is passing. In a word, deep down, this contributes to increasing the overall effectiveness of FADM itself,” emphasized the commander of the EUTM-MOZ.

Through the European Peace Mechanism, the European Union has also supported the Mozambican Armed Forces by allocating €89 million to purchase non-lethal equipment for units trained by EUTM-MOZ, a mission with a two-year mandate that ends next September. the process of making political decisions about its continuity continues.

“The strategic review is ongoing and I believe a final decision will be announced soon. But Mozambique has expressed its desire for us to continue and this is also a vote of appreciation for what we are doing and signs that I should The Union and Member States are making this assessment to make a final decision very soon, probably in the next few weeks “, concluded Brigadier General João Gonçalves, recognizing the “cycle of separation” of these almost two years and the “symbiosis”. achieved with the Mozambican military.