The Portuguese Foreign Minister, Augusto Santos Silva, announced, on Tuesday 26 January, that the European Union intends to strengthen its cooperation with Mozambique, which is prey to terrorism in the province of Cabo Delgado.
Last week the minister visited the country on behalf of the EU, following a request for support received from the authorities last September.
“The priority is very clear: to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Mozambique in areas where it already exists - humanitarian aid and development aid - and to increase this cooperation in a sector where it is very limited, such as security”, explained the minister to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.
According to Santos Silva, the EU would consider supporting the training and education of Mozambique’s military forces to deal with the insurgency, as well as providing logistical support and equipment.
The Minister said that any support to the country would be based on two elements: (1) strict respect for the sovereignty of Mozambique and the role that must be played by regional organisations, and (2) respect for human rights.
Recalling that more than 600,000 people are displaced within the country, the minister explained that the country has become a high priority for the EU in terms of humanitarian aid.
In a plenary debate last week, MEPs called for stronger EU action on the conflict in Cabo Delgado (see EUROPE 12624/15). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)