Are Rwandan Troops in Mozambique Doing Well to Protect Civilians?

Rwanda's involvement in peacekeeping operations for the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) has increased since 2004. The relatively small east African nation is Africa's most active troop-contributing country and the fourth most active worldwide.

It has nearly 6,000 soldiers and police committed to UN peacekeeping missions. In recent years, however, Rwanda has deployed its army independently of the UN or AU. In 2020, it sent 1,000 troops to fight anti-government rebels in the Central African Republic. A year later, it sent soldiers to deal with jihadist militants in northern Mozambique, and now has 2,500 troops there.

These two missions aim to confront and eliminate armed enemies of the host state. The operations - which aren't under the UN and AU protocols - raise questions about the conduct of Rwanda's army and its counterinsurgency doctrine. Specifically when it comes to avoiding civilian casualties, Ralph Shield writes for The Conversation.

Cabo Delgado remains deep in crisis almost five years after extremist violence began in the region. Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has come under attack by militants - causing death of more than 3,000 people and displacing over 850,000 others - leading to a humanitarian crisis. The attacks - many of which were accompanied by atrocities - included beheadings and the destruction of public and private infrastructure.