Rwandan officials announced March 14 that they may pull their military forces from Mozambique’s troubled Cabo Delgado province if international financial support continues to fall short of mission requirements.
Since deploying at Mozambique’s invitation in 2021, Rwandan forces have successfully helped stabilize territories once controlled by Islamic extremist groups, according to government spokesperson Yolande Makolo in a social media statement.
Reports from Bloomberg indicate the European Union’s mission funding will end in May without current plans for extension. EU representatives in Brussels have not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Makolo emphasized that continuing the deployment depends on “adequate, predictable funding” and referenced the Bloomberg coverage in her remarks.
“Should the RDF (Rwanda Defence Force) Command assess that the work being done by Rwandan Security Forces in Cabo Delgado is not appreciated, they would be right to urge the government to end this bilateral counter-terrorism arrangement and pull out,” she stated.
Mozambican officials were not available for immediate response to the announcement.
European Union contributions have totaled approximately 20 million euros ($23 million) so far, which Makolo described as only a small portion of actual mission expenses. She noted Rwanda’s government has spent at least ten times that EU amount on the operation.
The violent insurgency began in 2017 in the natural gas-rich region, forcing TotalEnergies to suspend work on its $20 billion liquefied natural gas facility. The French energy giant and Mozambican authorities reached an agreement in January to restart the project’s construction.
Officials report significant security improvements throughout Cabo Delgado, especially near Total’s Afungi construction location where Rwandan forces maintain a presence. While considerably weakened, the Islamic insurgency remains active in the area.
