Legal foundations of foreign intervention in Cabo Delgado
an analysis in light of international security law and Mozambican sovereignty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70622/2236-8957.2026.726Keywords:
sovereignty, intervention, conflicts, consolidationAbstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the legal basis for foreign military intervention in the province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, focusing on the activities of the Rwandan Defense Forces and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). Its problem statement is grounded in the conceptual framework employed, which links the evolution of the concept of sovereignty enshrined in the 2001 Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty - with the normative instruments of international security law. To this end, the research adopts a qualitative methodology, based on the analysis of documentary sources, treaties, resolutions, and internationalist doctrines, limiting itself to the period from 2021 to the present. It was concluded that, although Mozambique’s consent legally validates the foreign presence, the ad hoc nature of bilateral agreements, the absence of democratic scrutiny, and prolonged security dependence pose structural challenges to the effective sovereignty of the Mozambican state.
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