By Jorge Joaquim
The European Union Military Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique) was launched on Friday and will be fully operational by mid-December 2021, the Council of the EU said, once the ongoing handover from the Portuguese Armed Forces Training Project is concluded.
The mission aims to provide training and capacity building to the Mozambican army to help its response to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado.
It will be manned by around 140 military personnel who will be split between two training centres – one for commando training and another for marines.
The mission is expected to last two years, and it will be led on the ground by Portuguese Brigadier General Nuno Lemos Pires.
The mission will take place in Chimoio, Manica, and Katembe in Maputo — nowhere near Cabo Delgado itself. The mission includes the supply of non-lethal equipment for the forces being trained.
