The first two Mozambican special operations companies formed by the European Union (EU) mission will complete their training this Monday, Brigadier General Nuno Lemos Pires of the Portuguese Army, commander on the ground, announced on Sunday (20-3).
Each company, one from the Navy, trained in Katembe, near Maputo, and another from the Army, trained in Chimoio in the centre of the country, has 130 elements ready to join the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.
The training of the first group of six tactical air controllers, to be integrated either into Navy or Army contingents and oversee air support for missions, will end at the same time.
Details were given to journalists on the sidelines of the visit of Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the training base in Chimoio.
The European Union Training Mission (EUTM) officially started in November, 2021, with an expected duration of two years, and will host 140 military trainers over the period.
The mission responds to the request for help from the Mozambican government to prepare 1,100 Mozambican officers, sergeants and soldiers – six Army and five Navy special operations companies – for service in Cabo Delgado.
Of these 11 companies, two have already been deployed to the province, having been trained in 2021, before the launch of the EUTM, under a bilateral defence agreement between Portugal and Mozambique.
The EU mission has now “strengthened” cooperation, Lemos Pires said.
The EUTM, to which ten EU member states are currently committed, works in cycles of four months for each company. The largest training contingent is Portuguese – as is the commander of the mission on the ground.
