Mozambique: Rwanda to deploy 1000-strong military force to Cabo Delgado within hours

A 1000-strong military force from Rwanda will arrive in Mozambique tomorrow to help the country combat an escalating Islamist insurgency in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province.

Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi has been reluctant to accept foreign troops on the ground due to sovereignty issues, so the decision to allow Rwandan forces into the country is something of a milestone.

However, Rwanda is not a member of the 16-strong Southern African Development Community (SADC) that last month rubber-stamped plans to deploy forces to Mozambique.