Rwanda has warned that it will withdraw its troops from Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, where they are helping to counter deadly terrorist attacks, if sufficient international funding for the mission is not forthcoming.
The deployment in the gas-rich region in 2021, at Mozambique's request, has helped to stabilise areas previously overrun by terrorists, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a post on X.
The European Union is still silent on whether it will renew the funding when it expires in May 2026.
Rwanda has so far received about $23 million in EU support for the mission in Mozambique, which Makolo said was a fraction of the cost being borne by Kigali.
She said the effort had cost Rwanda at least 10 times that amount.
"Should the RDF (Rwanda Defence Force) Command assess that the work being done by Rwandan Security Forces in Cabo Delgado is not appreciated, they would be right to urge the government to end this bilateral counter-terrorism arrangement and pull out," she added.
Efforts not appreciated?
Rwanda's Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, later echoed those comments in a post on X, saying Kigali was "ready to leave Mozambique if our efforts and achievements are not appreciated".
Nduhungirehe said Rwanda had invested heavily and lost soldiers to help stabilise Cabo Delgado and restore normal life and a key liquefied natural gas project, and should not face criticism, be ‘’vilified or sanctioned’’ by countries that benefit from this progress. He did not name the countries.
The terrorism by groups seeking the control of the oil-and-gas-rich region of Cabo Delgado, which erupted in 2017, has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 1.3 million others, according to the UN. It has also disrupted economic activities in the region.
Security has improved in Cabo Delgado, particularly with the deployment of Rwandan soldiers, but sporadic attacks continue to occur.
