– At least 14 Mozambican soldiers killed in Muidumbe in two attacks claimed by Islamic State
– Chief of General Staff of the FADM, General Júlio Jane, holds first meeting with Rwandan forces in Cabo Delgado
By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Between 8 and 10 May, insurgents launched a fresh wave of attacks in Cabo Delgado, including an unprecedented attempt to assault a Russian oceanographic vessel off Tambuzi Island, near Mocímboa da Praia. This marks the first major terrorist operation at sea in Mozambique.
The attack occurred at around 15:20 local time, when the Atlantida K-1704, a Russian-flagged vessel, was approached by two speedboats approximately four nautical miles east of Tambuzi Island. According to security sources, the insurgents opened fire on the vessel, which was clearly identified as foreign. The ship and its crew managed to escape by heading into deeper waters, out of reach of the attackers' boats.
The same sources report that, at around 16:00, the Offshore Security Director of Castor Vali picked up a distress message on VHF channel 16. Although the transmission was weak, it included the words “pirate and attack” and confirmed the incident in an area regarded as high risk.
At 16:45, the Russian vessel contacted a nearby ship to alert it to the presence of insurgents on its starboard side and provided the attackers’ exact location.
No official statement has yet been issued regarding the incident. While insurgents have previously targeted fishermen around the islands of Mocímboa da Praia and Macomia (Quirimbas Archipelago), this is the first known attack on a foreign-flagged vessel.
Sources in the Mozambican Navy say the likelihood of similar attacks remains low, given the insurgents’ limited capacity to carry out successful maritime operations.
Casualties among the FADM
Also on 10 May, insurgents attacked a military position near the village of 1º de Maio, in Muidumbe district. Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing 11 soldiers of the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM), releasing images of the bodies through its propaganda channels.
Two days earlier, on 8 May, a Mozambican military position near Lake Nguri, in the locality of Miangalewa was attacked. During the assault, two civilians and two FADM soldiers were killed. A third soldier, critically wounded, managed to flee into the bush but later succumbed to his injuries.
These recent incidents underscore the worsening security situation in Cabo Delgado, with insurgents intensifying offensive operations in the face of what many see as a limited response from the FADM and Rwandan forces deployed to contain the insurgency.
On Saturday (10 May), the Chief of General Staff of the FADM, General Júlio Jane, held a meeting with Major General Emmy Ruvusha, Commander of Rwanda’s Defence and Security Forces in Cabo Delgado. The meeting focused on joint operational strategies in response to the surge in attacks.
This was Jane’s first encounter with Rwanda’s military leadership since assuming the role of Chief of General Staff, and it signals a closer alignment between President Daniel Chapo’s government and the Rwandan forces — viewed in Mozambican military circles as a project associated with former President Filipe Nyusi. (MT)
