Botswana denies soldiers ‘starving’ in Mozambique

Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has denied reports that its soldiers deployed in northern Mozambique for peacekeeping are starving due to a shortage of food.

The army dismissed a local newspaper report titled ‘BDF troops starving’, terming it “baseless and unfounded”.

In a statement on Wednesday, BDF said its soldiers in Mozambique’s restive Cabo Delgado province are physically and morally supported to attain “fighting power”.

About 300 BDF troops were deployed in 2021 under the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) mission to Mozambique (Samim).

Intensified patrols by Mozambican forces and Samim troops have resulted in a drop in militant activity in northern Mozambique, local media reported.