Mozambique Approves Local Militias In Jihadist Fight 

Mozambique’s parliament has approved a bill legalising the involvement of local forces in the fight against jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado province. <br />Local militias have been assisting the army and its allies from Rwanda and the southern African regional bloc in the fight against jihadists in the province. <br />Defence Minister Cristovao Chume, admitted that the Mozambican army was not strong enough to tackle jihadist activities alone. <br />He says there was an urgent need to establish local forces to strengthen the army “in combating and containing the spread of jihadist incursions”. <br />He says they would protect community settlements and public and private infrastructure, similar to strategies used in other jurisdictions where national security was compromised.