Along with the increase in SAMIM's contingent, the police (PRM), commanded by BERNARDINO RAFAEL, whose mandate was extended by PR FILIPE NYUSI on 01.DEC, decided to reactivate the Community Security Councils in Cabo Delgado, composed of members of the resident communities, which allow to gather information about the security situation on the ground and report back to the security forces. The intelligence deficit has been, since the beginning of the conflict, one of the main failures of the counterinsurgency. Local militias, made up of civil “watchmen”, have also been proliferating without institutional control.
In recent days, the Rwandan military is believed to have made a descent through Messalo to corner the insurgents, but several times they were forced to retreat due to enemy fire, which has the advantage of knowledge of the terrain. READ MORE