EU envoy cancels Mozambique visit over Covid case in entourage
Monday January 31 2022
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles. PHOTO | COURTESY | KENYA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
A top European Union diplomat on Sunday cancelled a scheduled two-day visit to Mozambique after someone in his entourage tested positive for Covid-19.
Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice President of the European Commission, visited Kenya last week.
“One member of the delegation tested positive before arriving in Mozambique and, although the rest of the team repeatedly tested negative, it was decided not to travel to Mozambique as a precautionary measure,” a spokesman said in a statement Sunday without elaborating.
A diplomatic source said that authorities will set a new date for the visit.
So far, Mozambique has recorded 223,811 Covid-19 cases, 212,070 recoveries and 2,170 deaths.
Mr Fontelles was set to meet Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Foreign Affairs Minister Verónica Macamo Dlhovo.
The meetings were to focus on the Maputo Peace and Reconciliation Accord, the work of the EU military training mission (EUTM) in Mozambique, and programmes supported by the EU to tackle an insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
Last week, the head of the EUTM in Mozambique said it is considering financial support to Rwandan troops deployed in the northern region of the country.
During a hearing before the EU Parliament's Security and Defence subcommittee Wednesday, Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean said Rwanda has requested “greater financial support” from the European Union and that the head of European diplomacy “is quite determined to respond favourably.”
In July, Rwanda was the first country to send troops to Mozambique to help in fighting insurgency in Cabo Delgado province.
Earlier this month, Mozambique and Rwanda inked another deal to extend the stay of Rwandan troops in the country for a further six months, to ensure liberated areas are not retaken by the insurgents.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders have also agreed to extend the mandate of a regional troop deployment fighting insurgents in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado.
Mozambique has been facing insurgency since 2017 when militants attacked villages and destroyed infrastructure, including schools and health centres, and civilian property in Cabo Delgado province.
An estimated 3,000 people were killed and 820,000 displaced.