President Paul Kagame said Rwanda’s military deployment in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province cannot continue without sustainable funding, and placed responsibility for that funding on the Mozambican government and the companies whose assets the mission protects.

In his Jeune Afrique interview, Kagame said Rwanda is spending four to five times what the European Union contributes, running a force of approximately 5,000 troops and police. “We are spending about four or five times that in running a force that is maybe close to 5,000 plus the police force,” he said.

He said Rwanda did not request the EU’s €20 million contribution before agreeing to deploy. “We didn’t ask for this 20 million before we even agreed to go and help Mozambique,” he said. “I don’t know how the EU got confused about it, that they would be giving this money as a favor to us. No. Actually, it is a favor to Mozambique that we are helping.”

He named ExxonMobil among the companies operating in Cabo Delgado and said those with investments in the region carry a responsibility. “The government of Mozambique, whose assets these are, should figure out how to pay for the security they need,” he said. “Comparing that amount of money to the volume of investment, it’s very tiny. So now, do they need security or don’t they? If they need security, they pay for it. If they don’t need it, the next day we should pack our bags and go.”

The EU’s €20 million funding for the RDF’s Mozambique deployment is set to expire in May 2026 with no plans for renewal. Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe warned on March 14 that the deployment would leave Cabo Delgado if sustainable financing was not secured. Since 2022, EU funding for the deployment has totaled around $46 million, covering less than 17% of Rwanda’s reported total costs for the mission.