Mozambique faces Islamist insurgency in northern part of the country

In Mozambique, leaders from southern African states are meeting today to develop a military plan to combat Islamist insurgents in the country. The conflict is already taking a massive toll, with nearly 700,000 people displaced as a result of the violence. BBC News correspondent Catherine Byaruhanga reports for CBSN.

These waterways off the coast of Mozambique are the latest front line in the country’s Islamist insurgency. Paradise islands once popular with foreign tourists now offer shelter to thousands displaced by the fighting. But the Islamist threat gets closer by the day. Insurgents are attacking fishing boats and raiding villages for food.

There were many decapitated bodies everywhere, in the streets and in the bush. There was a terrible smell. Buildings and banks were burnt down. It was just terror.

It’s two months since the big attack on Palma, and every day, people are still coming here, having traveled across the region. This is a population constantly on the move, trying to find safety.

Islamist insurgents have waged a brutal war on the people of Cabo Delgado for four years. Their most spectacular attack was in Palma, just miles away from a lucrative gas project run by the French energy giant Total. The company has pulled out all of its staff. Aid organizations believe up to 20,000 people are still trapped near the plant.

Volunteers have delivered some donations, but the government has blocked aid agencies from reaching them, saying it’s too dangerous. Security forces are also blocking people from leaving. A military source told the BBC they think the insurgents have infiltrated the crowds. But We spoke to survivors who said they had no choice but to bribe their way onto military evacuation flights out of Palma.

Source: Yahoo News