EUTM-MOZAMBIQUE has trained over 1,650 Special Forces

Maputo, 8 May (AIM) – The European Union Training Mission (EUTM-Mozambique), which is helping the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) to fight Islamist terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, has already trained over 1,650 soldiers for the Mozambican Special Forces.

‘”So far, we have trained just over 1,650 soldiers in Special Forces, both marines and commandos. We’ve also trained more than a hundred trainers”, said Brig-Gen João Gonçalves, of the Portuguese Air Force, who leads EUTM-Mozambique, at the ceremony to mark Europe Day, which is celebrated on 9 May.

Gonçalves explained that the European mission is training the FADM so that it may become autonomous in the fight against terrorists.

“They must continue to maintain this cycle of training and the life cycle of the QRF [11 Rapid Reaction Forces] because they have to be regenerated. The training provided is considered adequate by the FADM themselves for the type of insurgency in Cabo Delgado”, he said.

The Mozambican commandos and marines trained by EUTM-MOZ are already on the ground, at a time when the withdrawal the of Southern African Development Community’s Military Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) is under way.

“We are convinced that the type of training and the number of soldiers we are training are decisive in the approach to the conflict in Cabo Delgado. There is a very positive feedback from these soldiers’ actions on the ground”, he said.

The Mozambican authorities, he added, “have been very appreciative of the work we’ve been doing. It’s important to note that this has been a continuous evolution and we have had the flexibility and capacity to adapt as the conflict in the north evolved, as well as the needs of the FADM itself.”

(AIM)

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