The EU council has pledged to give to the Rwanda Defence force €20 million to aid its deployment in Mozambique, where it’s supporting an effort to tackle an Islamic State-backed insurgency.
The move doubles the amount the EU previously pledged back in 2022.
Rwandan forces in Mozambique have played an important role in holding back the insurgency for three years, in a region where fighting has delayed a liquefied natural-gas export project.
Josep Borell, vice-president of the EU Commission said the ‘’presence of the Rwanda Defence Force troops has been instrumental to make progress and remains key.”
He also described the funding as a ‘’testimony of the EU’s support to ‘African solutions for African problems’.”
Although the deal was anticipated, it has sparked tensions. It also comes with the condition that the funding will be pulled if money is spent on operations elsewhere than in Mozambique.
This restriction is mainly the work of Belgium, which reiterated its condemnation of Rwandan troops’ alleged backing of M23 rebels in the DRC.
Earlier this year, a UN report accused Rwanda of helping the M23 rebel group fighting Congolese forces in eastern DRC.