March 14 (Reuters) – Rwanda has signalled that it could withdraw its troops from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, where they are helping to counter deadly insurgent attacks, if the mission was no longer backed by sufficient and predictable external funding.
The deployment in 2021, at Mozambique’s request, has helped to stabilise areas previously overrun by an Islamic-linked insurgency, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a post on X.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the European Union’s support for the mission is due to expire in May with no plans for renewal.
EU officials in Brussels did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Makolo, referencing the Bloomberg report, said the sustainability of the deployment hinges on “adequate, predictable funding”.
“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 added.
The Mozambican government could not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Rwanda has so far received about 20 million euros ($23 million) in EU support, which Makolo said was a fraction of the cost of the mission, adding it cost the Rwandan government at least 10 times that amount.
The insurgency in the gas-rich Mozambican region, which erupted in 2017, brought construction of TotalEnergies’ $20 billion liquefied natural gas project there to a halt. In January, the French energy company and the Mozambican government agreed to resume construction of the project.
Security has improved in Cabo Delgado, particularly with the deployment of Rwandan soldiers around Total’s Afungi construction site, officials say. The Islamist insurgency, though weakened, continues to simmer.
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(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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