Portugal is set to send 60 troops to Mozambique to aid the growing security crisis in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. It was announced by Portugal’s defense minister Joao Cravinho as part of a new agreement between the two nations to tackle the Islamic insurgency.
The agreement, which runs until 2026, will see Portugal increase its number of troops in Mozambique to 80 to train Mozambican soldiers to tackle the insurgency, share intelligence and help the country use drones to track the militants’ movements.
According to Cravinho, An important project has been added to train Mozambican military personnel and the result is that the program will see four times more Portuguese troops working with their Mozambican counterparts.
The agreement is set to facilitate a multifaceted approach while recognizing that it does not resolve overnight but within a couple of years. It is expected to start with the security situation because this is the basis for any development, and to provide humanitarian aid to the affected populations.
While the deployment has been lauded by most, it has been cautiously accepted as CT analysts have warned of the excessive foreign involvement in the quashing of the local insurgency. The militarization is warned to ensure that the intervention doesn’t result in the same outcomes as Iraq, and Syria after the battle with ISIS-Central.
