At least 33 militants were killed over the weekend in an offensive to take back Mozambique’s port city of Mocimboa da Praia, the country’s army commander Maj-Gen Christovao Chume has said.
No Mozambican or Rwandan soldiers were harmed, Maj-Gen Chume told the public broadcaster on Tuesday night.
Rwanda sent a military contingent to Mozambique last month to assist in the fight against insurgents in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
The army commander said the offensive was entering an important phase as it targets Mbau, Siri I and II forest, a dense area considered to be the jihadists’ most important base.
Maj-Gen Chume said an aerial bombardment campaign was ongoing and that the troops would block exit points.
On Monday, the southern African regional bloc, Sadc, also joined efforts to fight the Muslim rebels in northern Mozambique, officially launching its military mission.
More than 3,000 people have been killed and 820,000 have fled their homes since the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado began in 2017.Article share tools
