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Uganda to train Mozambican military cadets
The President of Mozambique, Mr Filipe Jacinto Nyusi (centre) tours Kapeeka Industrial Park in the company of Gen Salim Saleh, the head of Operation Wealth Creation programme (left) and other dignitaries on Friday. PHOTO/PPU
What you need to know:
President Museveni made the commitment while meeting Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and his delegation at State House Entebbe on Friday
Uganda has agreed to train Mozambican army cadets to enable the country get enough manpower to defeat Islamist militants that seized major towns.
President Museveni made the commitment while meeting Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and his delegation at State House Entebbe on Friday.
“If you want to train any number of cadets 50-60, you can send me any number. But send me educated people. What we do here, we take university graduates because they understand and are easy to work with,” President Museveni said.
President Nyusi was in Uganda for a three-day state visit.
He also travelled with his defence, veterans ministers and Members of Parliament.
Uganda has been provided logistical support to Mozambique to fight Islamist group that are operating in Cabo Delgado Province, the northern part of the country.
The Islamist armed group seized a big part of territory in Cabo Delgado Province, which is near Tanzanian border.
On Friday, President Museveni lectured Mozambican MPs and veterans about their armed struggle between 1960s and 1970s in Mozambique under Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo) .
He said Frelimo was key in African resistance against colonialism and that combatant spirits must be revived.
“These terrorists would be defeated. We would have moved in there [with our troops], but we had commitments in Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said “I am happy to hear that SADC and Rwanda have done something....if the issue isn’t resolved, then we can organise [our troops].”
On Wednesday, President Museveni said they would not accept the Islamist insurgents to operate freely in Cabo Delgado Province near the East African region.
Media reports indicated that some of the fighters of the Islamist group are Ugandans, who were members of the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group with origins in Uganda and that has a large presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Uganda and Mozambique have reviewed and strengthened their security, defence and political cooperation.
However, he ruled out sending troops to Mozambique now given the fact that nearly a quarter of Ugandans forces are in Somalia and DRC.
In the 1970s, President Museveni spent years in Mozambique where he trained and participated in their guerilla armed struggle against Portuguese colonialists.
He used the military experience he got from Mozambique in his armed struggle against the Milton Obote government and the Tito Okello-led military junta that succeeded it. The Museveni-led NRA/M took over power in January 1986.
Uganda government has signed memoranda of understanding with Mozambican government to ensure that armed groups don’t use their territory to train and also attack Uganda.
Uganda has established a development project where they will help the Mozambican veterans in Montepuez in northern Mozambique where President Museveni trained in guerrilla war in the 1970s.
Uganda will also send soldiers to protect the project. Both countries have not agreed on the size of the force to protect the agricultural project. Several Mozambicans will be trained in Uganda on how to conserve wildlife in their country.
