By AFP

The European Union’s top diplomat said on Thursday the bloc was committed to help Mozambique fight “against terrorism”, as he unveiled new military aid for the country a day after a deadly jihadist attack.

Josep Borrell held security talks with Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo in the capital Maputo after arriving in the southern African nation for a two-day visit.

“I wanted to express the commitment and the solidarity of the European Union with Mozambique in fighting against terrorism,” Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told a press conference.

The diplomat said the EU on Thursday approved 15 million euros ($15 million) in additional military aid to support a regional mission in the restive northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The money will provide equipment including camp fortifications and vehicles, and adds to the previously agreed 89 million euros in assistance earmarked for the Mozambican armed forces, the EU said in a statement.

Macamo described relations with the EU as “excellent”, while Nyusi praised the bloc’s support, including the creation of a military base to train Mozambican forces, which Borrell is due to visit tomorrow.

Borrell’s trip came one day after an Italian nun was killed in an attack on a missionary compound in the Nampula province.

It was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, which has been waging an insurgency in the north of the country.