South Africa, Botswana and Rwanda have all sent troops to Mozambique to combat the insurgency in the far north of the country.

South Africa in particular has sent its elite Special Forces Unit backed by helicopters to secure the $20 billion Total Gas Project.

Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Angola might also contribute troops to Mozambique. Each of these nations will be given a geographical area to handle.

Rwandan already has a force of 1,000 troops and have reportedly made first contact with the insurgents, that saw several insurgents killed and a Rwandan soldier injured.

South Africa is focused on securing Mozambiques most strategic national asset because it is the only country with the military capability to do so. Pretoria has a VITAL stake in Mozambique. There are pipelines carrying natural gas from Mozambique to South Africa… There are some 3,000 bn cubic feet of natural gas in two Mozambican fields, but these guys have no market for it. While just across the border we have South Africa. A nation that has a staggering annual demand for 120 mn gigajoules (gj) of electricity, but no gas to generate it.

They built almost a thousand kilomeres of pipeline over a decade ago.This pipeline has ferried gas from the Temane and Pande fields in Mozambique to a distribution network in Secunda, South Africa. It is a deal that benefits both countries.

Credit: Defense News Nigeria