Mozambique and Tanzania would start joint operations to fight an insurgency, under an agreement that also includes the handover of about 500 suspected militants.
The three-year-old revolt has been concentrated in the Cabo Delgado region, in the far north of Mozambique, which is separated from Tanzania by the Rovuma River, which includes gas facilities worth about $ 60 billion.
In October the insurgency spread across the border when some 300 rebels attacked a Tanzanian village. It is also believed that many of the rebel elements came from Tanzania.
The newspaper said that the agreement includes the two countries’ joint operations in Mozambique and cooperation in areas such as the exchange of information, while Tanzania will deport 516 suspected rebels in its custody to Mozambique.
A Mozambique police spokesman could not be reached to confirm the details of the agreement.
But Mozambique Police Chief Bernardino Rafael told the private television channel STV after the agreement was signed in Tanzania at the weekend, “The agreement allows us to work together to control both banks of the Rovuma River.” He thanked Tanzania for its willingness to cooperate.
