Energetic defense

Rwanda: How Paul Kagame spins security & diplomatic web in Mozambique

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This article is part of the dossier:

How Kagame does business in Africa

By Romain Gras

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Posted on May 15, 2023 14:19

The Rwandan president has deployed troops in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado since 2021 to fight jihadists; in that time, a host of companies linked to Crystal Ventures, the private holding company owned by his party, have settled in Mozambique. They are betting on the development of TotalEnergies’ mega gas project in Afungi.

In Mozambique, the military support provided by Paul Kagame to Maputo in the fight against jihadist movements has opened the country’s doors to Rwandan interests, particularly in the mining sector.

The French group TotalEnergies, which has high expectations for the presence of Rwandan armed forces in relaunching its project in Cabo Delgado, has also drawn closer to certain subsidiaries of the private holding company Crystal Ventures, owned by Kagame’s party.

In camouflage and sunglasses, Kagame reviews his troops. On 25 September 2021, under the scorching sun of Pemba, the Rwandan president made his first visit to Cabo Delgado since deploying soldiers three months earlier. This northern Mozambican province has been facing a jihadist insurgency since 2017.

Despite ongoing fighting, the speeches of Kagame and his Mozambican counterpart, Filipe Nyusi, are optimistic. Weeks after their

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