A military base in northern Mozambique was targeted in a violent attack, resulting in the deaths of multiple soldiers, according to local military sources who spoke to AFP. This incident highlights the escalating insecurity in the region, particularly as energy giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume its liquefied natural gas project in the Cabo Delgado province, an area heavily affected by insurgency.
The assault occurred on Tuesday near Macomia, where Islamic State (IS) militants launched an offensive against the base. A Mozambican military officer, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on media communication, confirmed that the clash resulted in casualties on both sides, with over ten insurgent fighters reportedly killed.
The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting through its communication channels that it had killed ten government soldiers. However, the group is known for inflating its claims to serve its propaganda objectives. The military source described the base as a significant military position, suggesting that it took considerable audacity for IS to carry out the attack.
Earlier in the month, IS was also implicated in another assault that resulted in the deaths of eleven soldiers; a security expert later provided a higher toll of seventeen. The Mozambique military has not publicly addressed the casualties from these incidents.
The recent attack adds to a concerning trend of violence in the region, which has seen several incidents within a short time frame, including the deaths of three Rwandan soldiers and two rangers in a game reserve in the neighboring Niassa province. These sustained hostilities are part of a broader pattern of jihadist violence that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than one million residents since the insurgency began in 2017.
The violence also led to the suspension of TotalEnergies’ gas exploration project in 2021, after a brutal assault on the port town of Palma forced thousands to flee into the surrounding forests. An independent journalist, Alex Perry, reported that the attack resulted in a staggering toll of 1,402 civilians either dead or missing.
Despite the ongoing violence, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne stated last Friday that the situation has “greatly improved.” However, he acknowledged the existence of sporadic incidents that continue to threaten stability in the region. According to the conflict tracker organization ACLED, over 6,000 people have died as a result of the insurgency since it began.
