While East Africa and Mozambique were in preliminary skirmishes, the Western Indian Ocean region was also unsettled. Although naval battles were restricted due to a tacit understanding among four countries, warships from various nations still gathered there.
The main reason was that England and France wanted to support the Portuguese. If a naval war truly erupted, the Portuguese would certainly be heavily beaten by the East African navy.
As for the promises from both sides to avoid naval warfare, if things get really tense, you can't say for sure. England and France must monitor the East African navy, so they dispatched five ironclad ships to patrol the Western Indian Ocean.
Among them, England sent four ships in one go, and France sent one ship. Of course, this number isn't much for England and France, but it does have a certain deterrent effect on East Africa. Sometimes big countries only need to show their stance.
