Global InformationInsurgency in Cabo Delgado information
| Insurgency in Cabo Delgado | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the war against the Islamic State, Islamic terrorism in Africa and the war on terror[10] | |||||||||
 Situation as of March 2024 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Private Military Companies
|
Bandits[9] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Filipe Nyusi Atanasio M'tumuke Bernadino Rafael[12] Cyril Ramaphosa John Magufuli(2020–21) Samia Suluhu(since 2021)   Brig. Gen. Nuno Lemos Pires (Since 2021) |
 Abu Yasir Hassan[13][14] Abdala Likongo [15] Ibn Omar †[16][17]Abu Dardai Jongo[16] Abdul Rahmin Faizal (POW)[17][12] Abdul Remane[17] Abdul Raim[17]"Muhamudu" †[16] Nuno Remane[17] "Salimo"[17] Abdul Aziz[12] Rajab Awadhi Ndanjile †[18]Twahili Mwidini †[19] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Private Military Contractors
 Special Air Service special forces[25] 60 Commandos (Portugal) and Portuguese Marine Corps (training support)[26] Green Berets (training support)[27] |
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| Strength | |||||||||
11,200[30] 1,495[31] 1,000[1] 304[32] 296[3] 60[33] 20[7] 12[34]200 Wagner personnel[35] | 160-200 (2024)[36] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Hundreds killed and hundreds wounded 12 Wagner personnel killed[35][37] 2 killed [38] 2 killed[39] 4+ killed, several wounded[39] 1 killed [40]  1 death (non-combat) [41] |
Hundreds killed and hundreds wounded 470+ arrested[a][37] | ||||||||
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Total: 4,849 killed including 2,078 civilians[42] 400,000 displaced[43][44] | |||||||||
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The insurgency in Cabo Delgado is an ongoing Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, mainly fought between militant Islamists and jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region, and Mozambican security forces.[10] Civilians have been the main targets of terrorist attacks by Islamist militants.[46] The main insurgent faction is Ansar al-Sunna, a native extremist faction with tenuous international connections. From mid-2018, the Islamic State's Central Africa Province has allegedly become active in northern Mozambique as well,[8] and claimed its first attack against Mozambican security forces in June 2019.[29] In addition, bandits have exploited the rebellion to carry out raids.[9] As of 2020, the insurgency intensified, as in the first half of 2020 there were nearly as many attacks carried out as in the whole of 2019.[47]
Ansar al-Sunna (English: "Supporters of the Tradition") is similar to the name of an Iraqi Sunni insurgent group that fought against U.S. troops between 2003 and 2007. They are known locally as al-Shabaab but they are not formally related to the better known Somali al-Shabaab.[48] Some of the militants are known to speak Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique, however others speak Kimwane, the local language, and Swahili, the lingua franca language spoken north of that area in the Great Lakes region. Reports also state that members are allegedly mostly Mozambicans from Mocimboa da Praia, Palma, and Macomia districts, but also include foreign nationals from Tanzania and Somalia.[49]
- ^ a b "Rwanda Sends 1,000 Soldiers, Police to Fight Mozambique Militants | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. 9 July 2021.
- ^ "JSCD updated on Op Vikela, South Africa's commitment to SADC Mission in Mozambique". defenceWeb. 6 August 2021.
- ^ a b Botswana Sends Nearly 300 Troops to Mozambique, Voice of America, 26 July 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
footholdwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Mocimboa da Praia: Key Mozambique port 'seized by IS'". BBC News. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Reporter, Nyasa Times (4 December 2020). "Malawi Set to Send Troops to Fight Islamists in Mozambique Mid-Month". allAfrica.com.
- ^ a b Angola sending military advisors to Mozambique, Defence Web, 28 July 2021
- ^ a b "AU confirms ISIS infiltration in East Africa". The Independent (Uganda). 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Beheadings, kidnappings amid surge in Mozambique attacks: UN". Al Jazeera. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Lister, Tim (April–May 2021). Cruickshank, Paul; Hummel, Kristina (eds.). "The March 2021 Palma Attack and the Evolving Jihadi Terror Threat to Mozambique" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 14 (4). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 19–27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Winning Peace in Mozambique's Embattled North". 10 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
presentedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Designation of Abu Yasir Hassan as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist". Federal Register. 11 March 2021.
- ^ Esau (i_esau), Iain (11 March 2021). "US designates ISIS-Mozambique and its Tanzanian leader as 'terrorists' | Upstream Online". Upstream Online | Latest oil and gas news.
- ^ "Inside ISIS' new capital as terrorists carry out beheadings and take sex slaves". blackchristiannews. 4 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
4 Oct-10 Oct 21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f "Mozambique police name "ringleaders" behind Islamist threat". Reuters. 13 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
28 Sept-3 Oct 21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
24-30 Jan 22was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Gordon Feller (7 April 2021). "An overview of foreign security involvement in Mozambique". DefenceWeb. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Fabricius, Peter (9 April 2020). "MOZAMBIQUE: 'SA private military contractors' and Mozambican airforce conduct major air attacks on Islamist extremists". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Peter Beaumont (29 March 2021). "'Total chaos': survivors tell of insurgent attack in Mozambique". Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Chinaka, Cris; Wroughton, Lesley; Warrick, Joby. "An Islamist insurgency in Mozambique is gaining ground — and showing a strong allegiance to the Islamic State" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rfiwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Flanagan, Jane. "SAS joins hunt for missing British contractor Phil Mawer after Mozambique attack" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ "Portugal to send troops to Mozambique after brazen Palma attack by Islamic insurgents". France 24. 30 March 2021.
- ^ "US forces to train Mozambique's marines to fight jihadist insurgency". Africa News. 15 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Mozambique: Former Policemen Train Islamist Group". Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo). 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ a b Caleb Weiss (4 June 2019). "Islamic State claims first attack in Mozambique". Long War Journal. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "2018 Mozambique Military Strength". Global Firepower. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ S.Africa approves use of 1,495 military personnel to help Mozambique fight insurgents, Reuters, 28 July 2021.
- ^ Godfrey Marawanyika (29 July 2021). "Zimbabwe to Dispatch Troops to Help Mozambique Fight Insurgency". Bloomberg.
- ^ Hélder Gomes (29 March 2021). "Portugal envia 60 militares para Moçambique após ataque em Palma". Espresso. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Botswana sends troops to help Mozambique fight insurgency". www.msn.com.
- ^ a b Pjotr Sauer (19 November 2019). "In Push for Africa, Russia's Wagner Mercenaries Are 'Out of Their Depth' in Mozambique". Moscow Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ "S/2024/92". United Nations. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Full Dashboard | ACLED". 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 2–8 August". Cabo Ligado.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
20-26 Sept 21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "SADC Summit focuses on Mozambique insurgency: 5 January 2022". Defence Web. 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Lesotho soldier is latest SAMIM fatality: 6 December 2021". Defence Web. 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Cabo Ligado Update: 22 January-4 February 2024".
- ^ "Mozambique says northern village, site of 'beheadings', retaken". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ "Displaced Nearing 400,000 in Mozambique's Islamist Insurgency | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. 3 December 2020.
- ^ "Homens armados entregam-se às autoridades em Mocímboa da Praia". News Aiep (in Portuguese). 21 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ "Mozambique: Islamist Raids Continuing in Mocimboa Da Praia". AllAfrica.com. 5 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "More misery, few answers". The Economist. Vol. 436, no. 9209. 26 August 2020. p. 37. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Alleged Islamist base shelled near Mocimboa da Praia - By Joseph Hanlon". clubofmozambique.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ "População captura supostos membros do grupo armado que atacou Mocímboa da Praia". Verdade.co.mz. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.