Why are US-forces in Mozambique
A sharp increase in militant attacks in Mozambique’s
northern province of Cabo Delgado has forced the
government to reassess its strategy against the Islamist insurgency.
What is the role of US forces?
The agreement between the Mozambican and
US governments is for American soldiers to train
local forces fighting the al-Shabaab militia believed to
have links to the wider Islamic state group (IS).
“US special operations forces will support Mozambique’s
efforts to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism,”
the US embassy in Mozambique said on 15 March
“Clearly, the US is trying to extend its influence,”
says Jasmine Opperman, an analyst for the Armed
Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled),
which monitors political violence globally.
But she adds that it’s a complex local conflict,
and that “the US is framing the insurgency in a very
over-simplified manner by referring to the militants as an
extension of the Islamic State”.
On March 10, the US government designated
al-Shabaab in Mozambique as a “foreign terrorist
organisation”, describing it as an IS-affiliate.
Portugal, the former colonial power in Mozambique,
has also committed to training the military.
“We will send a staff of approximately 60 trainers to
Mozambique to train marines and commandos,”
said a Portuguese official.
Mercenary forces – Why are US-forces in Mozambique
Although the Mozambican government is reticent
about acknowledging their presence, private military
contractors have been operating in the region alongside
its security forces. Initially in 2019, Russian mercenaries
from the Wagner group were involved in the region.
More recently, the South Africa based Dyck Advisory
Group (DAG) was believed to have been invited by the
Mozambican government to help it fight insurgents.
A recent Amnesty International report on human
rights abuses committed in Cabo Delgado implicated
this group as well as government forces, and the
militants in the unlawful killings of civilians.
The DAG says it’s investigating the allegations made against it.
“When you hear these accusations of civilian casualties
involving private military contractors, it reflects badly
on the government,” says Emilia Columbo,
a senior associate at the Washington based
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
There are also concerns over the effectiveness of
these private contractors. Acting US counterterrorism
co-ordinator John Godfrey has said the involvement of
mercenaries “has not demonstrably helped” the government
of Mozambique in countering the threat it faces from militants.
What’s driving the conflict?
Cabo Delgado has long experienced instability,
but the recent surge in Islamist-linked violence started in 2017.
It’s a region with high levels of poverty and there
are grievances over access to land and jobs.
But Cabo Delgado’s importance for the government,
and a further reason for local grievance, lies in the
rich off-shore natural gas reserves currently being explored
in collaboration with multinational energy companies.
It appears that the militants have had significant success in
finding recruits both from within the province and further afield.
“I would say based on how quickly they spread, it speaks
to a huge increase in recruitment”, says Emilia Columbo.
“We get reports of boats full of youths getting
intercepted on the way to Cabo Delgado.”
Acled has recorded more than 570 violent incidents
from January to December 2020 in the province.
These have included killings, beheadings and kidnappings,
with deaths from attacks carried out by all groups
involved in the conflict rising sharply last year.
The most horrifying incident was of 50 people beheaded
in a sports field over the course of a weekend.
Human rights groups have reported the extensive destruction
of buildings throughout northern Mozambique by the militants.
The instability has led to huge numbers of people leaving
their homes in areas where conflict has erupted.
Nearly 670,000 people were internally displaced in
Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula provinces by
the end of 2020, according to the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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