More than two years after Rwanda deployed troops to Mozambique’s province of Cabo Delgado, a gradual return to normalcy is evident as economic activities resumed in towns and villages off the coast of the Indian Ocean where Rwandan and host nation forces jointly operate.

Their joint operations uprooted Islamic State-linked terrorists that had paralyzed the region. More than 250,000 people displaced by terrorist attacks in regions where the Rwandans operate had returned to their homes, by December 2023. The vast coastal region was ravaged by the Ansar al Sunnah wal Jama’a terrorists who killed more than 4,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, since 2017.

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As a sense of normalcy returns, Cabo Delgado’s women – who bore the brunt of the IS-linked terrorists’ savagery and still suffer from its consequences – are persevering despite the setbacks. Among other horrors, many women and girls seized during the terrorists’ raids were turned into sex slaves.

But even with all the prevailing challenges, the women of Cabo Delgado are trudging on, eager and more than willing to partake in the Province’s socioeconomic development. They exemplify resilience and community spirit, fostering a future of hope and recovery. Their stories echo sentiments of gratitude.

Irene Nhassala Njueka, a village leader in Mocimboa da Praia District, fled her area with hundreds of other people from her community in 2020. She returned home in 2022. "Upon return, we found our houses destroyed, but since then, we have had peace. Those of us who could cut trees did so to make shelter for our children," Njueka, who heads five localities, said.

Although fear lingers, the villagers are growing crops near their homes.

"We cannot go very far where we could harvest more," Njueka noted. Her community is thankful for what Rwandan and Mozambican forces accomplished.

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At a health center in Quionga, Palma District, Chika Saidi, a mother of twins, expressed gratitude for the return of peace in her village.

"I was given milk for the kids," said Saidi.

"There used to be a lot of destruction all around and we could not get any medical service. But today we are thankful because we can get the services and all the support we need."

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Although the traumatic events of the past still haunt the community, Cabo Delgado’s women are working together, in groups, to support their families and move on with their lives. Rachel Paulo, a receptionist at Amarula Hotel in Palma and member of a women&039;s group, is hopeful that their efforts to rebuild their community will bear fruits.

She said: "My boss and some of us decided to create something that will help local women get an income. We learn to read and write, make kapulanas [a type of a sarong worn primarily in Mozambique], bags, soaps, and lotions.”

Most of the women Paulo works with lost their children, husbands, businesses, and homes. They make bags, shirts, soaps, shampoo and dishwashing soap, for sale. Their brand name, Lilungu, was the name of the place before the insurgency.

"There have been improvements right after we started doing this. We sell our products to economically empower ourselves,” Rachel added.

Rwandan women soldiers enthusiastically contribute in the reconstruction and transformation of the community. One of them, Capt Violet Mulisa, said they do whatever it takes to help the region’s women, girls, and children recover from the impact of the war.

"We meet them during our medical outreach programmes and help them come in contact with doctors and psychologists,” she said.

Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, Rwanda’s Defence and Military Spokesperson, said their main job is to ensure Cabo Delgado is free from insecurity.

He said: "Our primary focus is to create the necessary conditions for NGOs, government and others to perform their specialized roles of dealing with mental issues, and dealing with trauma," Rwivanga said, adding that women soldiers play a key role in all the operations Rwanda Security Forces jointly conduct with the host nation forces.

"Our ladies are operational in the medical and operational fields. And we have women commanders deployed everywhere."