Recent reports pointing
to the presence of Russian troops in the northern province of Cabo Delgado
are “false,” the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Republic of
Mozambique stated on Tuesday.“The information is false because Russian troops
are not in Mozambique,” reads a statement from the Russian diplomatic mission
in Maputo, in response to questions posed by Lusa.In recent weeks, texts have
been circulating on the internet reporting an alleged military Russian presence
in Cabo Delgado aimed at supporting the fight against a wave of armed
attacks affecting the region for the last two years.Meanwhile, Mozambican
Deputy Minister of Defence, Patrício José, in statements to Lusa on Tuesday,
neither confirmed nor denied these indications, saying that
Mozambique holds “consultations” with several defence partners.“This is
normal Armed Forces’ work. We consult this one, consult that other one,”
added Patrício José.
The
Russian embassy, in its response to Lusa, not only denies the
presence of military personnel on the ground, but also any alleged links
it could possibly have with the President’s visit to Russia last
month .
Between
the two governments [Russia and Mozambique], “a general cooperation
agreement between the ministries of Home Affairs of the two countries was
sealed,” the note said.
None
of these legal instruments [signed during the President’s visit to Russia]
includes sending troops to Mozambique, the Russian embassy said. The same note
further stated that the deployment of units of the Russian armed forces abroad
requires “the invitation of the partner State,” the signing of the respective
agreements and still “the approval of the upper house of the Russian Federation
Parliament, as in the case of Syria”. Therefore,
the mentioned reports “seem to deliberately distort the true essence of
Russian-Mozambican technical-military cooperation,” the document reads.
According
to figures collected by Lusa, the wave of violence in Cabo Delgado has,
since 2017, caused the deaths of at least 200 people, including
residents, alleged perpetrators and members of the security forces.
The
attacks occur in the region where natural gas exploitation works are to be
located in coming years.
The
jihadist ‘Islamic State’ group first announced in June that it was associated
with one of the attacks, butthe Police of the Republic of Mozambique said at
the time that the alleged connection was not credible.
More details about Russian troops in #CaboDelgado #Mozambique
to fight the insurgency. 160 men based in Mueda and Macomia
districts, according to Moz24horas.https://t.co/h8RMz38eVH
— Eric
Morier-Genoud (@emorier) September
12, 2019
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