The exit of the SAMIM southern African regional bloc peacekeeping mission from Mozambique last July did not see hostilities ending in its Cabo Delgado province with FADM (Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique) supported by elements of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) still battling jihadists.
Reports from the east African country, some unverified, point to recent killings and beheadings as well as, in one instance, an attack on a South African managed hunting concession, by Islamist militant groups including factions associated with ISIS.
The Mozambique Conflict Observatory, monitoring political violence in the country under the umbrella of ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), Zitamar News and Mediaco-op, has it in an update there were multiple attacks by insurgents in April, with Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) remaining active in the south of Cabo Delgado province to Nangade in the north.
On 13 April, insurgents attacked and burned the village of Ncole before doing the same to the village of Ngura the next day. Islamic State claimed responsibility for both incidents, saying it wounded several members of the “Mozambican militia,” set fire to two churches and “dozens” of homes in Ncole, and burned another 60 houses in Ngura. Other villages were attacked in April along with FADM patrols, and at least one civilian was killed by insurgents.
In Nampula province’s Malema district, the conflict observatory notes further “security forces killed at least five self-styled Naparama militiamen on 17 April during an alleged attempted assault on a Defence and Security Forces (FDS) camp in Mutuali. According to police, the group — armed with machetes, sledgehammers and other blunt instruments — tried to overrun the position before being repelled by the FDS. Six suspects were arrested and authorities say investigations are underway to identify additional members”. Mozambican Defence Minister Cristóvão Chume reportedly dismissed those killed as “criminals,” saying the real Naparama are on the side of the FDS ruling out any link between the Naparama and the insurgents.
Mozambique Times reported insurgent activity in northern Mozambique intensifying, with two attacks recorded in Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces, targeting the RDF and a South African-funded tourism investment.
The most recent incident on 3 May saw three RDF soldiers killed and nine others injured during a clash with insurgents in Ntotwe village, Mocímboa da Praia district of Cabo Delgado.
Mozambique Times has it further insurgent attack frequencies on villages in Cabo Delgado are increasing “demonstrating greater boldness by targeting more complex sites – significantly raising the level of the terrorist threat in northern Mozambique”.
Shortly before the Ntotwe attack, a group of some 40 insurgents raided the hunting area of Chapunga-Kambako Safaris within the Niassa Special Reserve, near the Cabo Delgado border. The assault, which took place on 19 April, resulted in the deaths of two workers, who were reportedly shot and later decapitated. Four other lodge staff members were taken hostage, with the insurgents demanding a ransom, that was refused by the camp’s management.
The attackers subsequently set fire to the main camp, destroying facilities, vehicles, fuel, food supplies, and essential equipment for the upcoming hunting season.
The Niassa Reserve has until now been largely spared from the violent insurgency that has hit Cabo Delgado since 2017.
