WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
More than 8,100 people have reached safety outside the northern Mozambican town of Palma a week after it was besieged by militants, The U.N. said Wednesday, as thousands more remained stranded. Armed militants raided the coastal town on March 24, ransacking buildings and beheading residents as thousands fled into the surrounding forest. Dozens have been killed and many more are still missing after a coordinated attack that is seen as the biggest escalation of an extremist insurgency to have battered Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
WHAT'S BEHIND THE CONFLICT?
The region has long experienced instability, but the insurgency involving Islamist militants began in 2017. Local al-Shabab militia operating in the area are believed to have links to the wider Islamic state group (IS). High levels of poverty and disputes over access to land and jobs have contributed to local grievances.
But Cabo Delgado's importance for the government, and a further reason for local frustrations, lies in, The rich off-shore natural gas reserves being explored in collaboration with multinational energy companies. The militants have had considerable success gaining recruits both from within the province and further afield Mozambique’s three northern provinces — Cabo Delgado,Niassa, and Nampula — have significant natural wealth and enormous agricultural potential. However, they also have the country’s highest levels of poverty. The origin of the barely three-year-old Islamist insurgency in Mozambique, with a Muslim population of 18%, has roots in this North-South divide in the country.
RISE IN VIOLENCE
Attacks by militant groups have increased significantly over the past year. There have been more than 570 violent incidents from January to December 2020 in the province. The most horrifying incident was of 50 people beheaded in a sports field over the course of a weekend.
The instability has led to huge numbers of people leaving their homes in areas where conflict has erupted. Nearly 670,000 people were internally displaced in Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula provinces by the end of 2020, According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
RESPONSE FROM THE GOVT.
Mozambique’s government initially sought to downplay the rebellion, dismissing the militants as criminals. National capital Maputo is 1700 kilometres south of the troubled territory and is insulated from the threat. The troops lack military training and familiarization with the northern region.
The state has also started social programmes targeting vulnerable youths in Cabo Delgado In a bid to address widespread discontent over a lack of jobs and other economic opportunities in the predominantly Muslim area.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF US FORCES?
To support its efforts in tackling the growing insurgency, the Mozambican government has invited in US military advisers. The agreement between the Mozambican and US governments is for American soldiers to train local forces fighting the militants. On March 10, the US government designated al-Shabab in Mozambique as a "foreign terrorist organisation" ,describing it as an IS-affiliate.
Portugal, the former colonial power in Mozambique, has also committed to training the military. "We will send a staff of approximately 60 trainers to Mozambique to train marines and commandos,“ said a Portuguese official.
NEED OF THE HOUR
Mozambique desperately needs assistance not just to train its forces, But also to adopt the right strategies to fight a menace which could spread and impact the neighbouring southern African countries.
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