Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/20/mozambique-police-northern-village-retaken-from-armed-fighters
Analysis: Police general commander Bernardino Rafael states that more than 1,000 Mozambique troops have recaptured the northern village of Muidumbe from armed fighters. Fighting has resulted in the killing of 16 and the destruction of enemy logistics.
Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, home to gas developments worth some $60bn, is engaging with an armed campaign linked to ISIL (ISIS). ISIL’s campaign has gathered at an alarming pace this year, with fighters regularly taking on the army and seizing entire towns.
The armed group, Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, staged their first attack in 2017. Initially known for crude beheadings, the group declared allegiance to ISIL in June 2019. Since then, the group has massively intensified their attacks in both scale and frequency.
The unrest has resulted in the killing of more than 2,000 people since 2017, more than half of which are civilians, according to the United States based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
Last month, a report by rights group Amnesty International said the violent attacks in Cabo Delgado have triggered a humanitarian crisis, with more than 300,000 internally people displaced and 712,000 in need of humanitarian assistance.
Current events taking place in northern Mozambique may be a precursor for future conflicts as the state advances. Mozambique has a rapidly growing oil and gas industry, and one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves have been found off the coast of Cabo Delgado. This has given rise to major oil and gas companies, but has done little to help locals who remain poor. To further add fuel to the fire, years of government neglect and indifference has caused public opinion to grow toxic. With such unrest, terrorist organizations and infighting are erupting in this vulnerable environment. The Mozambique government’s response is crucial because it will have both symbolic and strategic importance.
On a global level of analysis the partitioning of Africa after WWI contributed to this event. The division of Africa led to arbitrary lines being drawn, connecting and disconnecting groups of people, and forcing them into inevitable conflict. On an interstate level, the involvement of ISIL (an IGO) greatly contributed to current conflicts. On a domestic level, Mozambique’s geographic environment has led to both the poverty and prosperity that has facilitated this event. Poverty brought on by natural disaster and overall poor farming conditions, and prosperity brought on by natural gas and oil reserves, contributed to this conflict by causing unrest and instability. Finally on an individual level, the leader of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, and the leaders of Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, such as Sheikh Mohamed Shaakir Ali Hassan are responsible for facilitating this event. Filipe Nyusi holds responsibility because of Mozambique’s current oil and gas undertakings, while leaders of Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, such as Sheikh Mohamed Shaakir Ali Hassan are responsible for this event because they facilitated the terrorist group and encouraged their actions.