The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, has announced that the partnership between Rwanda and Mozambique has yielded results, and that the work carried out by the Rwanda Defence Force in Cabo Delgado is being appreciated by Mozambique, which has now secured the necessary support meaning Rwandan troops will continue their mission.
This came after a dispute arose from the position of the European Union, which had previously funded the mission but indicated it would no longer continue to do so, a development that displeased the Rwandan government, which had warned that it would withdraw its troops if necessary.
In March of this year, while speaking about the international pressure being placed on Rwandan troops, despite their well-known efforts in Cabo Delgado Foreign Affairs Minister Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe said they could not continue operating while being undermined.
He stated: “We have reminded everyone that Rwandan troops carrying out this mission are serving the country of Mozambique, its people, and the broader international community including investment companies operating there and that these troops cannot continue their work while being criticized at every turn, sanctioned, and kept under constant pressure. That simply cannot continue.”
He had also said: “That is why we made it clear that Rwanda will continue its work as long as the requested support continues to be provided but if that support is stopped, it is understood that we will leave Mozambique, and those countries will have to look for another country or other forces to do the job.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Minister Nduhungirehe said that over the past five years, Rwanda deployed troops to Mozambique at the country’s invitation and that they have achieved the goals of their mission.
He said: “Peace and stability have been restored, families have returned home, children are back in school, businesses have reopened, Mozambican forces have been trained and that training is ongoing and American and European companies have been able to resume their investments worth 50 billion dollars in LNG.’’
He also noted that during this period, Rwandan troops were supported by the European Union’s European Peace Facility (EPF), which provided funding close to what Rwanda was spending in Mozambique, as well as EU investment in Cabo Delgado.
He continued: “Regrettably, we have noted that the two requests by the Government of Rwanda to Brussels were received with reluctance and were politicised by some EU member States (including our two former colonial powers), transforming a critical support to a fellow Mozambican people into an irrational criticism against Rwanda, thrown under the bus by the very countries that economically benefit from our intervention in Cabo Delgado. .”
Nduhungirehe said that “Rwanda came back to the basics and decided to deal exclusively with the Government of Mozambique, which, on its turn, has secured and will continue to secure the necessary funding for the Rwandan security forces in Cabo Delgado.”
He said: “In this regard, the collaboration between the two governments has been successful and will continue in the same trend, as the work of the Rwandan security forces in Cabo Delgado is appreciated by the sisterly country of Mozambique.”
RADIOTV10
