The Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) was first deployed in mid-2021 and is set to end on 15 July 2024. SAMIM has operated, for the most part, parallel to the Rwandan Security Forces (RSF), deployed at the same time. The RSF deployment has since 2021 been Mozambique’s preferred support mechanism, and the country only reluctantly accepted Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) intervention. Throughout its three-year term, relations with the host country have been strained, while operational cooperation with the RSF has been limited. 

Political constraints arising from tensions with the host country were compounded by SAMIM’s own internal issues. The bloc had little experience of managing such interventions, while member states’ willingness to commit troops, materiel, and budget to the exercise has always limited the mission’s potential. 

This profile uses ACLED data and other sources to examine the effectiveness of SAMIM’s deployment against Islamic State Mozambique (ISM), and its relationship with RSF, Mozambique’s Defense and Security Forces, and the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force (TPDF). SAMIM has had some success, particularly in Nangade district, but also obvious failure elsewhere, particularly in Macomia district, where ISM remains entrenched. It notes that this failure needs to be shared between all state forces operating in that area. It concludes by identifying the gaps that will be left behind following the completion of its mission and identifying ways these are likely to be addressed.