Rwanda’s foreign minister appears to have settled one immediate question about Cabo Delgado: Rwandan troops are not leaving Mozambique. Olivier Nduhungirehe said this week that, instead of seeking further funding from the European Union, Rwanda will now deal directly with the Mozambican government, which he said “has secured and will continue to secure the necessary funding for the Rwandan security forces in Cabo Delgado.”
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For communities in northern Cabo Delgado, that will come as a relief. The prospect of a Rwandan withdrawal had caused anxiety in areas where Rwanda’s forces are seen as far more effective and disciplined than Mozambique’s own Defence and Security Forces. Renewed insurgent activity in Chiúre, Ancuabe, Nangade, Mueda and Macomia has only reinforced the sense that Rwanda’s presence remains central to the province’s security architecture.
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But Nduhungirehe’s statement raises as many questions as it answers — starting with what has actually changed. European Union support for the Rwandan deployment has always come via Mozambique. The mission operates on Mozambican territory, at Mozambique’s request, and previous EU funding was awarded in support of Mozambique’s stabilisation efforts in Cabo Delgado. If Rwanda now says it will deal “exclusively” with Maputo, that does not by itself prove that European money has disappeared from the equation.
