South African Development Community (SADC) leaders agreed on Wednesday to extend their troop deployment in Mozambique to help the government battle an insurgency linked to Islamic State.
The SADC nations decided in June to send troops to assist Mozambique with combating the insurgency, which flared up in 2017, causing thousands of deaths.
At a summit held in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, the SADC noted that good progress has been made since the bloc deployed troops to Mozambique’s Cabo-Delgado.
Originally, the deployment of SADC troops was for three months beginning in mid-July but was extended in October. Despite not being a member of SADC, Rwanda has also sent soldiers to Mozambique.
Last year, the insurgency forced France’s TotalEnergies to halt a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas project in Palma after militants attacked the town.
Before accepting foreign assistance, Mozambique’s military was losing ground to the insurgency.
Several previously held by militants have been liberated, including the town of Mocimboa da Praia, which was first seized by the insurgents a year ago. Security forces report that insurgent bases have also been destroyed.