JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2021) African states need to start cooperating on a regional level to successfully combat terrorism, Deo Akiiki, deputy spokesman of Uganda's People Defense Force, told Sputnik following the attack on Mozambique's Palma that destroyed the town and claimed lives of over 50 civilians.
"We have not yet made any collaborations with regional troops as we sorely rely on our own military in fighting terrorists. Other countries like Mozambique on the African continent can only achieve this through regional cooperation and that's our message to all African States and their regional groupings," the spokesman said.
According to him, Uganda has already successfully provided military assistance to regional neighbors, including Congo, Central African Republic, Rwanda, South Sudan and Somalia, in tackling insurgents and terrorist groups.
"We have highly trained troops who are well trained on counter insurgency, with a specialized type of leadership, military, ideology and tactics," he stressed.
On March 24, Islamist groups attacked Palma, a small town in northern Mozambique where several international gas projects have been located. As a result of the ambush, about 2,000 foreign workers fled the town, while many residents remain hiding in nearby forests.
The Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva announced that the European Union was discussing the possibility to send a mission to Mozambique to train local military and provide logistic support.
