Islamic State terrorist group begins to gain foothold in Mozambique
On August 12, Islamist insurgents captured a strategic port in the restive province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique. The takeover of the port of Mocimboa da Praia came after five days of fierce clashes between the insurgents and Mozambican security forces. The port is close to a site of natural gas projects valued at about R1.04trillion ($60billion).
The militants who attacked the strategic port have ideological affiliations to the Islamic State. This was one of the several attacks on Mocimboa da Praia this year, as Islamic State-linked militants have stepped up attacks in the region.
Since 2017, Islamist militants have carried out deadly attacks against the military and local residents in Cabo Delgado, killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands. The attacks have stepped up in the last few months. In March 2020, Andrej Mahecic, Spokesperson of the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, stated that armed groups have been randomly targeting local villages and terrorizing the local population.
There have been increasing reports of beheadings, kidnappings and disappearances of women and children and the UNHCR estimates that attacks have now spread across nine out of the 16 districts in Cabo Delgado.
Several radical militant groups have been active in Cabo Delgado in recent years, including Ansar al-Sunna, which has been responsible for dozens of terror attacks against civilians and government forces in northern Mozambique. The group is known locally as Al-Shabab and also goes by the names- Ahlu al-Sunna and Swahili Sunna. With links to the IS, little is known about Ansar al-Sunna and its political objectives.
There has been no public face of the movement or specific goals outlined beyond a general call for the creation of an Islamic State and an adherence to Sharia Law.
The extremist activities of Ansar al-Sunna has been heralded by the IS in official news sources such as Amaq, Nashier, and the Al-Naba newsletter. According to a recent report published by data analytics company Babel Street, the tactics, techniques, and procedures recently used by the insurgents in Mozambique may be further indications of a closer relationship with international terrorist organizations.
For example, reports of the IS flags being displayed during attacks, increasing numbers of beheadings, and the kidnapping of girls in the model of Boko Haram (Nigeria) have occurred. Moreover, insurgents have increased attacks on security forces. In May, Al Sunnah captured a Yanjing armoured vehicle from Mozambican security forces. On June 27, the ISIS took credit for the attack through their Amaq News Agency via Telegram.
On August 4, 2020, Major General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, in a digital press briefing stated that in the Cape Delgado region, a local grievance is now being leveraged by that Islamic State.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, the insurgents have developed in their capabilities, become more aggressive, and use techniques and procedures that are common in other parts of the world – in the Middle East – that are associated with the Islamic State.
Source: New Delhi Times
