Tanzania's president says peace restored along border with Mozambique

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) — Tanzania’s president Monday said peace has been restored along Tanzania’s border with Mozambique, and militants from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province, who have been wreaking havoc in the southern Mtwara villages, have been neutralized.

This is the first time Samia Suluhu Hassan publicly talked about the threat posed by terror groups from Mozambique and a protracted military operation on the southern border.

According to a statement from the presidency, the president also urged the top military commanders to include terrorism in their agenda.

Addressing the military commanders at the Lugalo military base in Dar es Salaam, President Hassan, dressed in military fatigues, said: “In the recent months, peace and security on our borders, especially in the southern parts of the country, were threatened by a terrorist group from Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique. This group has been attempting to carry out attacks in our villages of Mtwara, causing deaths, injuries, and destruction of property. But our special forces deployed along the border have helped strengthen security and restore tranquility in the troubled region.”

More than 300 heavily-armed terrorists believed to be affiliated with Daesh/ISIS group, raided Kitaya village on the bank of Ruvuma River in October 2020, razing homes, and killing people.

The terrorists sneaked into the country by sea and launched attacks after crossing the Ruvuma River on the border of Tanzania and Mozambique, police had said.

The group had claimed responsibility for the attack which reportedly killed more than 20 people, including officials. Tanzania’s military subsequently deployed troops to flush out the terrorists.

Despite its reputation as a peaceful nation, the East African country has experienced rising terror threats in its gas-rich southern region.