Cabo Ligado Update: 24 June-7 July 2024
Situation Summary
Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) activity has been minimal in the past two weeks, with ACLED recording just four political violence events. However, insurgents appear to have reestablished a presence on the mainland of Palma district, where the international liquified natural gas projects are based, for the first time since February 2023.
On 27 June, gunfire was reported in the village of Quelimane in Mocímboa da Praia district, on the road to Palma. IS claimed to have killed one person, but this has not been corroborated. That day, insurgents were also seen in the Namalala forest near Olumbe in Palma district. Two days later, insurgents beheaded a man around Pundanhar, according to Carta de Moçambique. On 30 June, insurgents attacked a truck carrying food on the same road outside the village of Mute in Palma district. The truck drove through the ambush and the driver escaped, but the driver’s assistant jumped out of the vehicle and was killed. IS later claimed responsibility for killing one person in the attack.
ISM activity was also reported in Ancuabe district, with poor intelligence leading security forces on 24 June to shoot at workers at the German-owned GK graphite mine, believing there were insurgents in the area. Workers fled when the shooting began and no casualties have been confirmed so far.
Islamic State (IS) claimed to have killed one person with an IED in the village of Nguri, Muidumbe district, on 6 July but this has not yet been supported by other sources.
In Chiúre district, locals have accused the Local Force of extorting the population by charging up to 50 meticais to use the roads, ZumboFM reported. People in Macomia also continue to complain about abusive behavior by the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces. Many live in fear of extortion, arbitrary arrest, and sexual violence, one source claimed.
On 7 July, the N380 highway between the towns of Macomia and Awasse was reopened after it was closed for a week, reportedly because the police Rapid Intervention Unit, which provides armed escorts, was short of fuel.
Focus: RDF steps into Macomia
As the last batch of Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) forces leave Mozambique, a new contingent of the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) is preparing to take their place. An advance party of the RDF has already been sent to manage the logistics of their move to Macomia district - the area of the province most affected by the insurgency.
The RDF is determining the site of their base, water sources, and a power line to support their operations, according to Cabo Ligado sources. The same sources suggested they will not occupy the Xinavane base built by the South Africa National Defense Force (SANDF) in 2021 for their 1,400 strong military contingent. This formidable camp was the major center of SAMIM operations in northern Cabo Delgado.
The Rwandans are supposed to enter Macomia in force on 15 July, formally the last day of SAMIM. The RDF had increased its force with fresh reinforcements of 2,000 soldiers and police sent from Kigali to Nacala aboard national airline RwandAir. The size of the new contingent matches the force provided by SAMIM. A Tanzanian force will continue to be stationed at the northern Nangade district, under a bilateral agreement with Mozambique. Its main task is to prevent insurgent movements and supply lines across the Rovuma River, at the border.
As the RDF increases its presence beyond its traditional areas of responsibility in the districts of Palma, Mocímboa, and Ancuabe, it faces numerous challenges. Insurgents remain concentrated along the coast between Mucojo and Quiterajo, and in the dense forests of Katupa, bordering Muidumbe and Mocímboa da Praia districts after SAMIM was unable to dislodge them from these places. It remains to be seen whether the Rwandans will take a more offensive approach.
The Rwandans will also have to make a serious effort to repair relations with the local community, as many in Macomia have suffered brutal treatment at the hands of the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces. The Rwandans, too, have provoked resentment recently, namely in Mocímoba da Praia, where they tried to move street vendors away from the market at the commercial center of the town’s entrance, according to ZumboFM. The RDF will need to tread lightly to avoid civil unrest.
Round Up
SAMIM officially concludes mission in Cabo Delgado
The SAMIM officially concluded its military mission against the IS-backed insurgency in Cabo Delgado province yesterday ahead of its final departure date on 15 July. During a farewell ceremony in Pemba, Defense Minister Cristóvão Chume stated that the joint efforts of SAMIM and Mozambican security forces had inflicted significant casualties on the insurgents. However, he acknowledged ongoing insurgent attacks and persistent insecurity among the population. SAMIM handed over various captured weapons to the Mozambican government, including eight RPG-7s, PKMs, a machine gun, a mortar, 70 AK-47s, seven pistols, an AKS/SAR, a G3 rifle, rockets, ammunition, and cartridges, as well as 800 Islamic holy books.
Tanzanian force to remain in Cabo Delgado
On 2 July, President Filipe Nyusi visited Tanzania, a key ally in Mozambique’s fight against the IS-backed insurgency in Cabo Delgado. The day before his trip, Nyusi confirmed that Tanzania will continue to operate its 300-strong force in the province’s northern district of Nangade beyond the departure of SAMIM. Nyusi warned that insurgents may use SAMIM’s departure as an opportunity “to try to show that they exist.”
France prepared to strengthen cooperation on security and counter-terrorism with Mozambique
The European Union remains paralyzed on the question of providing an additional €20m to fund Rwanda’s military intervention in Cabo Delgado, according to Africa Intelligence (AI). Portugal and France are strongly in favor of approving the funds, but countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden remain skeptical, AI reported. This comes as President Emmanuel Macron said France is ready to strengthen cooperation with Mozambique on security and counter-terrorism in a message to President Nyusi to mark the 49th anniversary of the independence of Mozambique.
Magistrate highlights persistently high acquittal rate of suspected insurgents
Suspected insurgents who are captured in Cabo Delgado are often acquitted for lack of evidence, according to the president of the magistrates' association, Eduardo Sumana. In 2019, 37 people were convicted on terrorism charges and another 100 were acquitted, mostly due to lack of evidence. In 2023, 74 people were indicted and only two were convicted.
Mozambique ignored US proposed counter-terrorism plan, outgoing ambassador says
The United States proposed a counter-terrorism program to the Mozambican government at the end of 2021 but did not receive a reply, according to the outgoing American ambassador Peter Vrooman. He told reporters he also had a meeting with President Nyusi and the American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last September and hoped Mozambique would reply detailing what they need to help fight terrorism. Vrooman did not elaborate on the content of the proposed program. Sources in the Ministry of Defense of Mozambique claim the US government is already aware of its security and counter-terrorism needs.