Rwanda President Paul Kagame arrived in Mozambique on Friday for a two-day state visit.
According to a statement from the Rwandan President’s Office, President Kagame will address Rwandan troops stationed in Mozambique on his first day in office. He will also meet with President Filipe Nyusi on a bilateral basis and sign bilateral agreements.
President Kagame will join President Nyusi at a military ceremony for Armed Forces Day at Pemba Municipal Stadium on the second day of his visit.
The visit comes two and a half months after Rwanda sent a 1000-strong army and police detachment that recently commenced offensive strikes against militants in Cabo Delgado province in northern Rwanda.
Rwanda was the first country to send troops to Mozambique under a bilateral agreement in July. Botswana sent a detachment of 296 soldiers, while South Africa sent 1,500 troops.
Despite some members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) initially opposing the deployment, both Presidents Nyusi and Kagame have justified it.
After terrorists belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group took control of most of Cabo Delgado’s five districts in four years, they argued it was vital to combat the mounting threat of terrorism and unrest.
The deployment has been defended by President Kagame. For the time being, he said, Rwanda is bearing the deployment price, and the troops would be deployed.