EU Funding for Rwanda’s Mozambique Deployment Set to End in May
The European Union plans to let its €40 million funding expire in May for Rwanda Defence Force troops fighting an Islamic State-linked insurgency in Cabo Delgado, where they deployed in 2021 to reclaim towns and safeguard a $20 billion gas project
According to emerging reports, European Union’s financial support for Rwandan troops helping to fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency in Mozambique expires in May and there are no plans to extend it.
In 2024, the EU approved about U$23 million worth of assistance for the Rwanda Defence Force operating in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, matching the amount it agreed to provide almost two years earlier.
The funding, under the European Peace Facility, was allocated to cover the cost of personal equipment and logistics, the European Council said.
Since July 2021, a joint Rwandan Army and Police force numbering over 2,000 has been in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province to combat ISIS-linked insurgents, working alongside Mozambican forces to restore stability, protect key infrastructure like the TotalEnergies gas project, and enable civilian returns.
The joint forces operating under a bilateral agreement have successfully dislodged insurgents from major strongholds, including Mocímboa da Praia, Palma, and Macomia.
This could be one of Rwanda’s most successful missions abroad. The deployment secured the billion TotalEnergies gas project and allowed over 250,000 displaced people to return home.
