Army Seizes Militant Base In Mozambique

There are reports from Mozambique that the army – along with troops from Rwanda – have retaken a base from Islamist militants in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

It is hard to verify exactly what happened but it has been widely reported that the jihadist base at Awasse was captured by Rwandan and government troops after a serious gun battle.

This could make it easier to retake the nearby coastal town of Mocimboa da Praia, which was seized by the Islamist militant fighters seized it a year ago.

President Filipe Nyusi recently welcomed the arrival of Rwandan troops who have just been joined by several hundred from Botswana.

It is part of a regional effort to help Mozambique fight back against the jihadists to contain a growing rebellion in the gas-rich area.

The government in Maputo hopes the arrival of foreign troops is going to help stop a rebellion that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and forced the closure of a multibillion-dollar gas project.

But some analysts point to examples elsewhere on the continent where the intervention of foreign troops and an overreliance on a military solution have seen conflicts spread.