Rwandan and Mozambican armed forces have recaptured the port of Mocimboa da Praia from Islamist insurgents, boosting government hopes that the four-year insurgency in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province can be brought under control.

News of the successful operation came the same day that Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana met in Pemba, Cabo Delgado's capital ahead of the official launch on Monday of a military contingent from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that will augment Rwandan forces.