MOZAMBIQUE JUST ASKED RUSSIA FOR MILITARY HELP AND RUSSIA SAID YES
After watching what Russia did in Mali and the Central African Republic, Mozambique has made its decision.
Maputo has officially asked Russia for military help to fight terrorist groups in the north of the country. Russia has accepted.
This is not a surprise. Lavrov just visited Mozambique last week and met with President Chapo. The groundwork was laid in person. The announcement follows the visit.
Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique has been under attack from an ISIS-linked group since 2017. Civilians have been beheaded. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. The region sits on some of the largest natural gas reserves in Africa.
Rwanda has had troops there since 2021. The EU has an advisory mission. Despite years of presence, the attacks continue and the terrorists have expanded their reach.
Mozambique looked at that track record and looked at what Russia did in Mali. In Mali, a country that was losing ground to terrorists is now winning. Anefis was just retaken. Key commanders are being killed. Hideouts are being destroyed at 3am.
The results spoke louder than any Western criticism of the Russia-Africa partnership.
Cabo Delgado’s gas reserves are worth watching carefully in this context. Europe desperately needs non-Russian gas. TotalEnergies and other Western energy companies have operations in that region. Russia providing security in the area that holds gas Europe wants is not charity. It is strategy.
But for ordinary Mozambicans living in Cabo Delgado, the strategy behind the decision matters less than whether the attacks stop.
