Brigadier General João Carlos de Bastos Jorge Gonçalves, former F-16 pilot of the Portuguese Air Force (FAP), will now lead the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ, in English), it was announced today .
According to information from the FAP, Brigadier General João Carlos de Bastos Jorge Gonçalves, aged 54, already commanded the Azores Air Zone and was director of Air Command Air Operations. Previously he was an instructor pilot and, among other skills, he flew more than 1,600 hours in F-16 aircraft and acquired all qualifications in F-16A.
The current commander of this training mission in Mozambique, also Portuguese Rogério Martins de Brito, stated on July 26th that the Mozambican special forces trained by the EU to combat “terrorism” in Cabo Delgado have recorded an “extremely positive” performance on the ground. ”.
“The information at this moment is extremely positive, it is differentiating, it is, in fact, remunerative for what is the general effort of the FADM [Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique] in Cabo Delgado”, he stated.
Trained to be quick reaction forces (QRF) and adapted to the challenges posed by the insurgency in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, the elements of those units are equipped with special characteristics such as high mobility, readiness, flexibility, interoperability and capabilities command and control, advanced.
According to Martins de Brito, the assessment of the QRF's operations in Cabo Delgado has been carried out with the EUTM-MOZ by the FADM command and by the military missions of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda, which are also fighting the rebels in that area. province.
Admitting that the actions of the units in question have seen “some small failures”, he warned that the “eradication of terrorism” will not be achieved solely through the use of QRFs, because this type of device is designed for “surgical operations” and does not act as a regular forces, which are prepared for territory occupation and routine patrolling.
The EUTM-MOZ commander highlighted that Mozambican special forces are involved in offensive actions against the rebels, in a joint effort with regular Mozambican, SADC and Rwandan forces.
“Since I arrived [to head the mission] ten months ago, I have seen clear improvements in coordination, command, communication, mobility and interoperability”, emphasized Rogério Martins Brito at the time.
With a two-year mandate, starting in September 2022, EUTM will evaluate with the Mozambican authorities the future of its presence in Mozambique, until the end of this year, but has already trained around 60 Mozambican instructors who will continue strength training special features of the country, advanced.
In addition to providing operational training to the QRF, EUTM-MOZ has also provided combat equipment to members of these units, with the value of the material support provided already exceeding 80 million euros.
The EUTM-MOZ mandate foresees the formation of 11 Mozambican QRF units, each of which has a composition equivalent to a military company.
The current mission consists of a contingent of 117 people, 65 of whom are from Portugal, the country that also takes command of EUTM-MOZ.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing armed insurgency for almost six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and around 4,000 deaths, according to the conflict registration project, ACLED. (News at the Minute).
