Maj Gen Kagame handed over command responsibility to Maj Gen Ruvusha on Saturday, September 7, 2024, in a ceremony attended by the incoming and outgoing Task Force Brigade Group Commanders, Police Component Commanders, NISS Coordinators, and other staff officers.
During the handover ceremony, Maj Gen Ruvusha thanked the outgoing JTFC for the impressive effort with which the force carried out its duties.
The new Rwandan troops arrived in Mozambique on August 20, 2024. Maj Gen Ruvusha was briefed and given a familiarization tour of the RSF area of responsibility, including Mocimboa da Praia, Chinda, Palma, Afungi, Pundanhar, Macomia, Ancuabe, and Pemba.
The security officer's deployment is part of Rwanda's ongoing commitment to supporting Mozambique in countering the insurgency that has plagued Cabo Delgado since October 2017, when armed extremists first launched a rebellion in the region.
In response to the escalating violence and widespread displacement, Rwanda began deploying its security forces to Mozambique on July 9, 2021. Initially consisting of 1,000 troops from both the Rwanda Defence Force and the Rwanda National Police, the contingent had grown to nearly 2,000 by the end of 2021.
By late 2022, it was announced that the number of Rwandan troops in Mozambique had increased to about 2,500, reflecting their expanded mandate to pursue and dislodge terrorists from their hideouts.
Mozambique has also received military support from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) since 2021. However, SADC forces began withdrawing in April this year as their mandate drew to a close.
Before the intervention of Rwandan troops in 2021, terrorists had claimed the lives of 3,000 civilians, and more than 800,000 people had been displaced. The insecurity also brought all development projects in the insurgent-controlled areas to a standstill.
Over the past three years, Rwandan security forces, in collaboration with Mozambique's armed forces, have made significant strides in dismantling the Al Sunna wa Jama'a (ASWJ) terrorist group from their strongholds in Mocimboa da Praia and Palma. This has allowed a substantial number of internally displaced people to safely return to their homes.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
