Cabo Ligado Weekly: 6 - 12 June 2022

Situation Summary

The insurgency has continued its march southward into the district of Chiure, threatening the provincial capital Pemba and attacking vulnerable civilians in Ancuabe on the way. North of Pemba, insurgents continue to engage with security forces in Macomia district. Over the last two weeks, insurgents’ attacks on targets within 60 km of Pemba have triggered significant displacement and forced the military to restrict movement on key roads. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 11,000 people fled in wake of the attack on Nanduli on 5 June, mostly to Pemba and Chiure but also to other neighboring districts.

Following the Nanduli attack, insurgents continued south to the Grafex mining project, owned by Australian graphite mining company Triton Minerals, where they beheaded two employees on 8 June. This information was initially conveyed by two of the victims’ colleagues who managed to escape to the village of Silva Macua, about 20 km to the south, where many survivors of the Nanduli attack were sheltering. On 14 June, Triton Minerals released a statement confirming that two “Security/Caretaker staff” had been killed. No material damage was done to the site, the company said.

On 9 June, insurgents then appeared further south at the village of Ntutupue, about 55 km west of Pemba, where local sources report that they encountered two civilians, beheaded one, and instructed the other to report what had happened. Four days later, Islamic State (IS) social media claimed responsibility for killing one civilian there. One source claims that Rwandan and Mozambican forces then pursued the insurgents into the Pulo forest, where they clashed, but no other details of this confrontation have been reported.

One woman who was captured after the Nanduli attack and taken to the Pulo forest claimed she saw at least 60 insurgents. She said she was subsequently released and told by the insurgents to spread the message that they are coming. She also claimed that people were drinking Frozy brand soft drinks, suggesting that supply lines are robust. Another family from Ancuabe, who fled to Nampula, claimed their district had been attacked by 300 insurgents.

On 12 June, IS social media issued a statement claiming to have killed two civilians and burnt down 70 houses in Retene village in eastern Chiure, south of Pemba, an attack confirmed by a local source. This is the first confirmed insurgent attack in Chiure, and the most southerly attack undertaken by the insurgents. Chiure had previously been seen as a safe haven, where displaced people have sheltered since the start of the conflict.

Other local sources reported rumors that the village of Mazeze, 8 km south of Retene, was attacked the day before but no direct confirmation has yet been received. Given how close the villages are to each other, it is not clear if these rumors refer to the Retene attack or a separate incident.

In any case, the recent attacks in Ancuabe and Chiure have sparked panic in Pemba, according to a source in the city. Videos appearing on social media appear to show large traffic jams outside Pemba as every vehicle entering the city is searched for insurgent infiltrators. Pemba is the main command and logistical hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

Insurgent violence has also continued further north, in Macomia. On 7 June, IS claimed to have attacked the village of Chai, about 30 km north of Macomia district headquarters, burning homes but without mentioning any casualties. Local reports also suggested there were no casualties but several children were kidnapped and later released. However, one source claims that on 10 June, 10 insurgents were killed between Nkoe village and Chai in a clash with security forces that lasted through the night, although this has not yet been corroborated.

On Thursday 9 June, insurgents and security forces clashed outside Quinto Congresso, with both sides claiming to have ambushed and seized weapons from each other. IS was the first to claim victory, boasting on social media channels the next day that they successfully surprised a group of soldiers on patrol near “Quinto,” killing two and injuring several more. Two days later, IS issued a photo report allegedly from the incident, one showing a beheaded body and the other a captured light machine gun with ammunition.

SAMIM responded on 13 June with a press statement claiming that a force of SAMIM and Mozambican troops conducted a joint operation around Quinto Congresso on 9 June in which “terrorists were killed and others suffered severe injuries.” The statement also claimed that in the operation they seized assault rifles and ammunition, but admitted to suffering six injuries and one fatality. These areas of Macomia have remained persistently insecure since the intervention of regional security players.

Weekly Focus: The Return of the Displaced from Palma to Mocímboa da Praia

The high profile return of 123 displaced people from Quitunda, in Palma district, to Mocímboa da Praia last week masks continued displacement across Cabo Delgado’s eastern districts, which have been shaken by attacks in recent weeks from Palma in the north, to Ancuabe and Chiure in the south. Given continued conflict across the province, and limited public services, further return to Mocímboa da Praia is not guaranteed.

Thousands of people who fled the March 2021 attack on Palma town have been living at Quitunda, a resettlement village on Afungi peninsula constructed by Anadarko to house people displaced by the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. The displaced people there include a number who originally fled to Palma from Mocímboa da Praia, after Mocímboa was taken by insurgents in August 2020. Last week’s return of 123 to Mocímboa da Praia was with the support of the “Joint Forces of Rwanda and Mozambique,” according to a statement from Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence, which expects a total of 3,556 people to ultimately make the move back to Mocímboa. It is unclear if conditions are yet suitable or if that level of projected return will be possible. In April, Doctors without Borders (MSF) had reported that electricity and water had been restored, but that there was no trade. Just last month, Mocímboa da Praia municipality was reduced to threatening public servants to return by 15 May.

While removing a vulnerable population from the project site back to Mocímboa da Praia has always been an objective for TotalEnergies, the company is not complacent about the security situation in the wider community. Development support to Quitunda and other communities continues, but has been suspended in Olumbe and Mondlane villages since late May, according to Savana newspaper. The two villages lie to the south of the LNG site. This reflects concerns about the operations of an armed cell operating between the coast and the R762 road linking Palma to Mocímboa da Praia. The cell is thought to be responsible for two incursions into Olumbe over the last month, and for attacks on vehicles on the R762. With Mozambican, Rwandan, and SADC forces stretched by events to the south, both Palma and Mocímboa da Praia may be exposed.

Government Response

The recent attacks in Ancuabe have triggered a series of actions as part of a mixed and sometimes uncoordinated government response. On 6 June, during a virtual meeting with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi acknowledged publicly the previous day's attack on Ancuabe. Nyusi said that the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) were already monitoring insurgent movements in Nanduli, which prompted a military intervention. This military intervention, Nyusi said, eventually led to the fleeing of civilians from the area. According to Nyusi, the problem of “terrorism” is far from over, and the government's efforts will be aimed at containing the problem. This approach, in Nyusi's view, involves strengthening operational capacity, making progress on the reconstruction plan for the province, and consolidating security to allow the safe return of the displaced population.

On the ground, the situation appeared to be more complicated. Following the attack on Nanduli on 5 June, people from both Nanduli and surrounding villages fled their homes to safe areas, such as Sunate, also known as Silva Macua, where many others had fled to get buses to other places. Among those who fled, according to Carta de Moçambique, was Ancuabe Administrator Lucia Namashulua, who took refuge in the administrative post of Metoro. However, she was forced by more senior officials to return to Ancuabe town, and then travel to Sunate to urge the people to return to their homes, saying that the FDS was in control of the situation.

On 8 June, the Governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, went to Metoro as part of a government effort to first reassure and then call on the displaced people of Nanduli to return to their homes, saying that efforts were being put in place to restore security and public order. Valige further said that he would make at least six vehicles available to transport the civilians back to their villages. On the same day, the spokeswoman for the Cabo Delgado government, Jorgina Manhique, refused to comment on the extent of damage caused by the Nanduli attack, saying only that the attacks had caused at least 2,500 people to be displaced. Parallel to this, Minister of the Interior, Arsénia Massingue, was visiting the province, assuring SAMIM of government cooperation, and raising concerns about police corruption.

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