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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Thursday that Moscow is ready to help Mozambique confront what he described as the ongoing “terrorist threat” in the north of the country, during his visit to the capital, Maputo, as part of an African tour that included a number of countries.
The Russian “TASS” agency quoted Lavrov as saying that Russia “is ready to respond to the request of Mozambican friends regarding the support it can provide in eliminating the continuing terrorist threat in the north of the country.”
For years, government forces in Mozambique have been engaged in confrontations with militants in the north of the country, in a security crisis that has affected local stability and major economic and investment projects, especially in resource-rich areas. Lavrov’s announcement comes in the context of the expansion of the Russian security presence in Africa, especially through the “African Corps.”
Lavrov arrived in Mozambique today, Thursday, from Niger, after participating in the second round of ministerial consultations between Russia and the “Coalition of Sahel States,” which includes Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where he stressed Moscow’s desire to deepen security and economic cooperation with the bloc’s countries.
Lavrov also began his African tour with a visit to Ethiopia, where he held discussions with Ethiopian officials and with the Chairman of the African Union Commission, as part of a broader Russian effort to strengthen the political, economic and security partnership with the continent.
Lavrov’s visit to Maputo carries a clear security dimension, as Russia seeks to present itself as an alternative or complementary partner in the files of counter-terrorism, training and military support, at a time when several African countries are facing security challenges extending from the coast to the east and south of the continent.
