While the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will visit Mozambique early next week, the Director-General of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), Vice-Admiral Hervé Bléjean, announced, on Wednesday 26 January, that he was thinking of requesting the extension of the EUTM Mozambique training mission to the Cabo Delgado province.
“If the security analysis confirms an improvement in the situation in Cabo Delgado in the medium term, I intend to ask for the mission to be extended to the area in the near future to be able to make a number of observations”, Vice-Admiral Bléjean explained at a hearing of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, recalling afterwards that some politicians were travelling in the area. Absent from the province, the EU has to request information from partners.
The EUTM mission began training Mozambique’s armed forces on the 1st of November to help them deal with the crisis in Cabo Delgado. EUTM Mozambique will train five companies of marines and six companies of land forces commandos, which form the Mozambican rapid reaction forces.
The mission has three different training locations: one for the ‘Fusiliers Marins’ (Navy Riflemen) in Catembe, one for commandos in Chimoio and one for air traffic controllers at Maputo airport, often under poor conditions, according to Vice-Admiral Bléjean. An estimated Є4.2 million from the European Peace Facility will be spent on improving the facilities, which will then be handed over to the Mozambican authorities once the training is completed.
The Vice-Admiral said he hoped that the mission would reach full operational capability in the spring. The mission identified 161 posts, but some of them are double-hatted. “So, the maximum number of people physically deployed will be 115”, he explained. “Since the 1st of November, the average staffing level has been around 45%, with the situation in the support group being critical, at only 19%”, explained Vice-Admiral Bléjean. While the majority of staff are currently Portuguese, a dozen Member States have indicated their intention to participate.
According to the Vice-Admiral, the December Conference on Joining forces for the next generation resulted in 131 out of 161 positions, or 80% of the force, being filled, sufficient to declare full operational capability for the mission. Three non-EU countries have indicated their interest in participating: North Macedonia, Brazil and Serbia, the latter being the only one to have finalised its offer so far.
The EUMS Director General also spoke about the provision of equipment for the Mozambican forces. “Equipment should not become the only matrix for support, but it should be seen as a lever or a key that opens certain doors “, explained Vice-Admiral Bléjean. According to him, it was when the Europeans put the issue of equipment on the table that they attracted the attention of the Mozambican authorities.
Through the European Peace Facility, the EU will provide Mozambique with €4 million for 2021, €45 million for 2022 and €40 million for 2023 for non-lethal equipment. This involves providing individual equipment (helmets, uniforms, etc.), mobility equipment (vehicles and fast boats) and logistical autonomy so that the forces can be deployed (tents, sleeping bags, but also securing the environment, including tactical drones).
According to Vice-Admiral Bléjean, Rwanda, which has forces in Cabo Delgado, has requested EU support through the European Peace Facility and the High Representative would welcome this.
Finally, the Vice-Admiral touched upon the Wagner Group. While he said conditions in Mozambique would not allow the group to return with a working business model, he urged caution, explaining that the Mozambican president had confirmed that he was open to working with Russia on security issues. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)