More than half of Cabo Delgado’s 17 districts have already been targets of terrorist attacks, with the exception of Montepuez, Namuno, Balama, Pemba and Mecufi. According to the conflict monitoring project in northern Mozambique, more than 4,000 civilian and military personnel have died since 2017.
The 5th of October 2017 goes down in history when talking about terrorism in northern Mozambique. From the town of Mocímboa da Praia to other parts of Cabo Delgado province, and later to Niassa and Nampula, the terrorist attacks, first considered by the authorities as actions of groups of “bandits”, “rogues”, “insurgents” and finally terrorists, resulted in deaths, made investments unviable, destroyed towns, villages and forced the displacement of close to a million people.
Initially Mocímboa da Praia and today in 12 districts
With the entry of foreign troops in 2021, especially the Rwandan troops, some villages such as Mocímboa da Praia, that for one year were under the total control of terrorists, were freed.
However, in terms of expansion, terrorism moved from Mocímboa da Praia to Macomia, Palma, Nangade and Quissanga, Meluco and Ibo, and since June this year to Ancuabe and Chiúre. Terrorist leaders such as Muhamudo, Rajabo, Kassimo and Tohine Muhidine were killed by state forces, but it was never clear about the wanted terrorist commander, Bunomar Machude.
Also in November 2021, terrorism was again felt on a large scale in Mecula district in Niassa province, and in June and September this year in Memba and Eráti districts in Nampula province.
Speaking to the press in Pemba city on the occasion of the passage of five years since the beginning of terrorism in Cabo Delgado, the General Commander of PRM, Bernardino Rafael, considered that there are advances in the fight against terrorism, with the destruction of bases and occupation by the FDS of Palma, Quiterajo, Awasse, Anga, Mbau, Limala, and others, but admitted that the state forces were taken by surprise and were not prepared to deal with the phenomenon.
Even so, Bernardino Rafael asks the population to continue denouncing the presence of the terrorists, as happened recently in Quissanga district, and assumes it is still too early to sing victory.
Displaced people call for an end to attacks
Alafo Abdala, displaced from Quiterajo, Macomia district, welcomed in Ingoane, city of Pemba, in the house of his eldest son, with his wife and three other children, says that “it is important that the war ends so that we can go back to our activities”, stressing that today he can no longer fish and depends entirely on the support and effort of his son.
Amina Salimo, 49, displaced and from the Mucojo Administrative Post in Macomia, has hope that the war will end, but “life will not be the same, we have to start from zero”, foreseeing a difficult life, because she lost her husband, with whom she cannot return to start life again.
The international scene
Initially, the Mozambican government denied that the incursions into Cabo Delgado were associated with terrorism, which also affects other African countries. With all the proposals for international support, Nyusi’s government hired a group of Russian mercenaries without consulting Parliament. Their intervention only succeeded in slowing down the situation until general elections were held in 2019, but afterwards, the terrorists intensified their attacks.
Through public funds, the government also turned abroad and invited a military operations company called Dick Advisory Group to finish off the terrorists, but it was not enough. It was a decision widely criticised by public opinion due to the lack of transparency of the whole process.
Finally, in the guise of friendly support, Mozambique received about 1000 men from the Rwandan forces in July 2021, and later the SADC troops arrived on the scene, who, despite the latter recording casualties, helped to recover the town of Mocímboa da Praia, an important platform for gas exploration operations in the Palma district.
South Africa is so far the country with the largest military personnel in the SADC mission, compared to Tanzania, a country where some of the terrorists operating in Mozambique originate. In fact, the Tanzanians hosted for many years in Mocímboa da Praia radicalized and expanded to Macomia, although there is also recruitment in districts of Nampula province.
Mozambique has also invested in training its forces with support from the European Union and the United States.
Support for the displaced
The terrorist attacks have moved, not only people of good will, but also various international organizations, including the United Nations. In its report on the occasion of five years since the beginning of the attacks by armed non-State groups, the UNHCR estimates that close to a million people in Cabo Delgado province are in a situation of displacement.
The UN body says it is concerned about the risks people face and considers that security conditions are still volatile.
It also noted that the displaced families need support in terms of providing services and assistance, and that by last September US$36.7 million was needed, but it had only been possible to raise 60 percent of that amount.
On the other hand, according to “Cabo Ligado”, the latest update of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), the conflict-affected areas of Cabo Delgado are expected to face a food insecurity crisis by January 2023, due to low food stocks for local families with limited sources of income.
Volunteers on the front line
The National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD) never led the humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado, and as an alternative, volunteers and youth from the city of Pemba came on the scene, who alongside other organisations helped provide first aid to displaced families, who arrived in the provincial capital totally weakened.
Reconstruction of Cabo Delgado
Even though it does not have its own funds, the government believes that everything must be done to rebuild Cabo Delgado province. With a Northern Development Agency-ADIN practically without funds to implement the reconstruction plan estimated at US$300 million, everything is still at square one.
Officially, resettlement centres have not been decommissioned, but Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces have learned to manage relief centres in Metuge, Ancuabe, Chiúre, Montepuez and Corrane districts in Nampula and Marrupa and Mecula in Niassa.
Disappearances and trials
During the five years of the terrorist attacks, several people disappeared, some of whom were abducted by the authorities. Traders, religious and others, with Islamic leanings, were victims of abductions and summary executions by the FDS. A US report on religious freedom in Africa pointed to Mozambique as a country where religious Muslims were killed and abducted for practicing their religion because they were allegedly associated with terrorists.
The government has repeatedly denied human rights violations, including denying the veracity of a video in which a woman appears to be barbarously attacked by the Mozambican military.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Court of Cabo Delgado handed down heavy sentences against Mozambican and foreign citizens accused of involvement in terrorist attacks in Mocímboa da Praia and elsewhere, with sentences of up to 40 years in jail, but some of the accused died due to poor prison conditions and others were released due to insufficient evidence. It was one of the most complex trials that the justice sector has faced in recent years.
Carta de Moçambique