On Thursday, 4 July 2024, Mozambique’s Defense Minister, Cristovao Chume announced the end of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) in the oil-rich Cabo Delgado province. He praised the significant progress made by SAMIM in the fight against terrorism.

The military operations, which began in July 2021, aimed to combat extremist groups that had sown terror and instability in the northern province of Mozambique. At the closing event in Pemba, Chume said, “The operationalization of the SAMIM force proved to be a huge complement to the tireless actions of the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces, offering greater robustness to the mission to chase and eliminate terrorists on the battlefield.”

Since the deployment of the SAMIM there has been significant improvement. The country has seen, the destruction of terrorist bases, the reduction of attacks, the return to normal functioning of public and private institutions, the resumption of the development of economic activities, the free movement of people and goods, the gradual return of populations to their areas of origin and the significant improvement of the security situation in general.  Moreover, this has led to members of the Cabo Delgado community to develop confidence in SAMIM forces and feel more secure in their province.

Chume further commended SADC’s strength to combat terror in the region, “The SADC Mission in Mozambique gave greater strength to SADC’s regional integration, particularly in the field of defense and security, increasingly enriching the history and role of our regional organization.”

These results, which substantiate the success achieved in the fight against terrorism, gave SAMIM a prominent role in addressing the threat posed by terrorism in the region. The progress is a victory for SADC, which indicates the spirit of brotherhood and mutual aid between the countries of the region.

Chume also took the opportunity to reiterate the Mozambican people’s gratitude to all the SADC sister countries, the troop-contributing countries and the SADC secretariat for their immeasurable support in the fight against terrorism in the province of Cabo Delgado.

Meanwhile, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi addressed a press conference in Dar-es-Salam after official talks with his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Hassan Suluhu on a state visit he made recently. In his address he took the opportunity to thank Tanzania and other countries for their contributions in combating terrorism that is plaguing some districts in the province.

“On behalf of Mozambicans, on behalf of my government, I thank Tanzania, which is part of the committed force of SAMIM, together with other countries, but also thank the entire SADC because, in addition to those countries that committed forces to Mozambique, there are also other countries that have not committed men, but that used their limited savings, to contribute to supporting those from SAMIM, who are on the ground.”

Despite the progress that has been made, the Minister of Defense says that the minimum movement of terrorists continues to create insecurity in Cabo Delgado.

By Charles Mangwiro