16 January 2008
Maputo — The United States government has offered the Mozambican navy two boats to patrol the country's lengthy coast, and to protect its marine resources from looting.
According to the military attaché at the US embassy in Maputo, Lt-Col John Rudd, the two vessels, valued at 600,000 US dollars, will arrive in Mozambique at the end of this month.
"The boats, each of which cost 300,000 dollars, will give the Mozambican navy a very strong operational capacity", said Rudd.
The Mozambican authorities want to strengthen the navy in order to face such threats as illegal fishing, and the trafficking of arms and drugs down the Mozambique Channel.
Mozambique has also requested assistance in this area from China. The Chief of Staff of the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM), Gen Lagos Lidimo, said during a recent visit to China, that the Chinese government may also provide boats to patrol the coast.
Meanwhile the head of technical studies and planning in the FADM General Staff, Col Judas Martins, has said that when participating in future peace keeping missions, the FADM will be able to rely on modern communications equipment provided by the United States.
Mozambican troops took part in the successful peace keeping operation in Burundi, and are currently involved in the African Union mission to the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.
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