Islamic State Claims Multiple Attacks Amid Escalating Insurgency

- Insurgents intensify attacks, hitting at least four districts in one week

- Over 10 people killed, and the Government remains silent

By MOZTIMES

Maputo (MOZTIMES) – In less than a week, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for killing over 10 people in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, as insurgent attacks escalate.

The most recent attack took place on Monday night (3 February) in the village of Nicocue, about 40 kilometres north of Montepuez. Local sources reported the attack on Tuesday morning, mentioning houses set ablaze in the village, but no casualties.

However, on Tuesday night, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, publishing images on its propaganda channels. The international terrorist group stated that it had burned houses and a vehicle and killed “a Christian”.

On 2 February, the Islamic State also claimed responsibility for an attack in the village of Mitope, Mocímboa da Praia district, alleging that the target was a Government military unit. According to the group, the soldiers fled the scene, allowing the insurgents to seize weapons and ammunition and burn military camps along with 20 civilian homes.

The recent wave of attacks began on the night of 26 January, at the Pundanhar administrative post, about 50 kilometres northwest of Palma town.

According to local sources, the insurgents attacked the administrative post, killing two people—one police officer and one civilian—while also burning homes and looting food and bicycles. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack the following Thursday via its propaganda channels.

The deadliest attack occurred on Wednesday, 29 January, in the village of Ravia, Meluco district, at an artisanal gold mine. Local media reported that eight people were killed, but the following day, the Islamic State claimed, in its Al-Naba magazine, that five Christians had been killed in the attack, accompanied by graphic images of beheadings.

During this one-week period, insurgents carried out attacks in at least four districts: Palma (Pundanhar), Mocímboa da Praia (Mitope), Meluco (Ravia), and Montepuez (Nicocue), suggesting the simultaneous and coordinated operation of multiple groups in the province.

In recent months, it was believed that the insurgents had retreated to dense forests near the mouth of the Messalo River, confined by the presence of Rwandan troops in Macomia district, who replaced SADC forces in August/September of last year.

Former President Filipe Nyusi, during his farewell from office, had declared that the terrorists had been defeated. However, these claims, which were frequently repeated throughout his tenure, were proven to be without factual basis.

Over the course of nearly eight years of jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the frequency of attacks typically decreases during the rainy season, especially from November to February. During this period, rivers become swollen and impassable, and dirt roads turn muddy, hindering movement for both insurgents and Government forces.

From late March onwards, attacks usually intensify. Major insurgent offensives against district capitals, such as Mocímboa da Praia (March and April 2020), Quissanga (March 2020), Macomia (May 2020 and May 2024), and Palma (March 2021), all took place shortly after the end of the rainy season.

Security sources indicate that during the rainy season, insurgents take advantage of the reduced Government offensive operations to regroup, train new recruits, and infiltrate informants into villages to gather intelligence for future attacks.

This year, however, attacks are starting earlier, before the beginning of the so-called “fighting season,” as the post-rain period is known among analysts of the Cabo Delgado insurgency.

An anonymous security source commented that the current wave of attacks could be a response to Filipe Nyusi’s statements claiming that the terrorists were defeated and in the process of disbanding.

The same source explained that, as the insurgents rely heavily on propaganda, any Government declaration of victory is often met with an increase in attacks to prove otherwise and ensure continued financial and logistical support from their sponsors.

Daniel Chapo, who recently took office as President and Commander-in-Chief, has yet to address terrorism in Cabo Delgado in detail. During the celebrations of Heroes’ Day on Monday and at the opening of the judicial year on Tuesday, Chapo made only brief and superficial references to the matter. (MT)

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