Small, weak, and under-resourced, the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces (FADM) remain heavily reliant on foreign assistance as they combat a persistent Islamist insurgency in the country’s north.
Established in their current form in 1994, the FADM consist of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. Despite Mozambique’s vast size, the FADM only has an estimated strength of only 12 000 to 15 000 active personnel, with their primary focus on addressing internal insecurity, particularly in Cabo Delgado Province, where Islamist insurgents aligned with the Islamic State have been active since 2017. The FADM have received significant foreign support in this regard, including training and equipment from the European Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and Portugal, as well as direct military interventions from SADC (past) and Rwanda (ongoing).
Despite defence spending climbing to around 2% of GDP in recent years and modest modernisation efforts, the FADM’s overall combat effectiveness has shown little sign of improvement, as the force remains hampered by corruption, poor discipline, and widespread equipment unserviceability.
Click here to read the full African Military Profile on Mozambique.
