The official request of the Mozambican government is not from September. We have been talking and discussing. I cannot give you a precise date, but I think that – and I could be wrong - the official request of the Mozambican government is not as old as last September. It is true that we have been talking and discussing with them in an informal way.
In any case, you are right. It shows that we have to react quicker. The sense of urgency is something that we have to push on this organisation. We have quite a heavy process and we have to accelerate it. This is part of the review of our strategy.
It will be a military mission and Portugal has already offered half of the staff. In fact, Portugal has already sent in advance military instructors. This Portuguese mission has to be considered as an advance and it will be integrated in the European Union training mission if we finally agree on that.
I think so. The political will is there and with a strong contribution from Portugal and I hope that other Member States will be able to complement the whole force.
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The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said on Thursday 6 May, that he hoped an EU military training mission could be launched in Mozambique in the coming months. The country is facing jihadist attacks and has requested EU assistance to address a security situation.
EU mulls military training mission to steady Mozambique
The European Union will consider sending a military training mission to Mozambique to help the government withstand a growing insurgency, and Portugal is already sending troops, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday.
EU weighs military training mission for Mozambique
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is urging member countries to contribute to a military training mission in Mozambique that could be launched in coming months. The European Union's top diplomat on Thursday urged member states to contribute to a military training mission for Mozambique in coming months, to help its government take control of parts of the country held by extremist rebels.
The U.N. World Food Program recently warned that the humanitarian crisis caused by the extremist insurgency in the north of the southern African country is rapidly spiraling, with more than 950,000 people in urgent need of food aid.
The French energy firm Total said late last month that it had halted all operations on its $20 billion investment in a liquefied natural gas project in northern Mozambique due to the rebel offensive.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the government has requested assistance and that “we must respond to the Mozambique request with a certain sense of urgency.”
“We have to react quicker,” Borrell told reporters, after chairing a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. “We have a quite heavy process and we have to accelerate it.”
