Maputo, March 18, 2026 (Lusa) - Opposition party Podemos called on Mozambique's government on Wednesday to invest in the Defence and Security Forces, saying that they were capable of combating terrorism, given the possibility of the Rwandan force withdrawing from Cabo Delgado.
“If the state were to invest more resolutely in our armed forces, if there was modern equipment, consistent logistics, adequate operational support, effective military intelligence and decent conditions for combatants, our forces would be fully capable of defending Cabo Delgado and ensuring that people are safe,” Zainaba Andala, MP for the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party said in parliament on Wednesday.
Rwanda’s foreign minister warned on Sunday that the Rwandan contingent fighting terrorism in Cabo Delgado would leave northern Mozambique if there were no guarantees of “sustainable funding” for the operation.
“It is not a question of ‘Rwanda being able to withdraw’, but rather of ‘Rwanda will withdraw’ its troops from Mozambique if sustainable funding is not available for its counter-terrorism operations in Cabo Delgado,” said Olivier Nduhungirehe in a post on his official account on social media platform X, Kigali’s second official statement in less than 24 hours.
The warning came as the European Union’s (EU) financial support for the operation nears its conclusion, scheduled for May, after 36 months and disbursements of €40 million, and at a time when the United States, which is funding the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) megaproject led by France’s TotalEnergies in Cabo Delgado, has imposed sanctions on the RDF due to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In parliament, the Podemos party argued that the country’s defence is a matter of sovereignty, pointing out that the country's forces were capable of defending the territory if they had adequate material and human resources.
“What is often lacking is not courage, patriotism or determination. What is often lacking are adequate conditions for those fighting on the ground; our military faces a brutal enemy in extremely difficult situations, and many set out to defend the homeland without returning, leaving families marked by grief and pride in their sacrifice,” said the MP, calling for logistical support for the Mozambican forces.
‘If the foreign forces that came to support Mozambique were provided with certain logistical, operational and material conditions, then our own forces must have equal or even better conditions, because our forces are the forces of the homeland; they are the sons of this land, young men who have sworn to defend the territorial integrity of Mozambique,’ Zainaba Andala said.
Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an insurgency with attacks claimed by movements linked to the extremist group Islamic State, which are estimated to have caused around 6,500 deaths.
More than 2,000 Rwandan soldiers are assisting with security operations, particularly in the area near TotalEnergies’ gas megaproject, construction of which resumed in January, almost five years after it was suspended due to the attacks, with the oil company emphasising the importance of the agreements for the RDF’s presence.
PME/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
