SA can’t afford to help in Moz war

Reports that 50 civilians were gruesomely beheaded by Islamic State-linked terrorists in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique should bring home to us, here in complacent South Africa, that we have a horrific insurgency happening next door.

And, by all accounts, the Mozambique government – despite support and advice from some South African-based security companies – is battling to contain the problem. While there have been calls for South African troops to become involved – hands-on and weapons “hot” – in the rapidly growing war, the situation, both in Mozambique and here at home, needs to be evaluated very carefully.

On the one hand, we don’t want our soldiers and air force personnel sucked into a bloody and, possibly, unwinnable conflict, as happened with the US in Vietnam. On the other hand, an uncontrolled Islamic jihadist insurgency could well spill across our borders and cost South African lives.

The reality is also that, even if we wanted to, we don’t have the money to spend on sending expeditionary forces to help our neighbour. We can barely keep our own defence force functioning. Nor, worryingly, is this the sort of conflict which can be resolved through negotiations. When you’re on a mission from God, casualties don’t matter.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.