Overview
Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) has continued to mount roadblocks on the N380, although Rwandan forces broke one up on 23 March, and despite the continued presence of Defense Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM) and Rwandan forces at outposts in the area. These led to the death of two FADM soldiers, and the kidnapping of at least 20 civilians. Victims’ accounts indicate that significant ransoms were demanded and, in some cases, paid. ISM was also active in Ancuabe and Montepuez districts, primarily tackling undefended villages, and continuing a presence around gold mining sites.
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Cabo Ligado
Situation Summary
Insurgents block the N380 in Macomia district
On 25 March, ISM ambushed a FADM patrol at a roadblock close to Chai village on the N380, killing one soldier, according to the Islamic State (IS). The attack has not been corroborated with other sources.
On 27 March, there were at least two other incidents on the N380 between Macomia town and Chai. In the first, two FADM soldiers were in a civilian vehicle stopped by insurgents. According to what appears to be a leaked internal FADM memo circulating on social media, the incident happened between Quinto Congresso and Nova Zambezia villages. According to the memo, one of the soldiers and civilians in the vehicle were released after paying a ransom. Unable to pay, the other soldier was held. IS published a photograph of the detained soldier in its al-Naba newsletter, claiming ISM had killed him.
According to the memo, the two soldiers had been traveling from their outpost, referred to as Namabo, to Macomia town to buy provisions. Cabo Ligado understands that the outpost is 1 kilometer east of Quinto Congresso, a position established in 2022. It is not clear why the soldiers were traveling in a civilian vehicle when there was known ISM activity in the area.
In the second incident of 27 March, Sheikh Ahmad Omar Saide, also known as Sheikh Ahmad Nagi, was amongst a number of people held for ransom. According to Sheikh Nagi, as reported by the Gazeta Árabe Facebook page, he was traveling in a convoy of four vehicles that was stopped near Chai. According to the Gazetá Arabe report, Sheikh Nagi said he was released after friends and relatives paid a ransom of 50,000 Meticais. He claimed that 13 others were released upon paying 200,000 Meticais, and that 15 others remained as hostages.
Sheikh Nagi recounted that as a Muslim, he was held separately from others and that the insurgents urged him to collaborate with them. He noted that the insurgents' misinterpretation of Quranic verses that they confronted him with may be effective in recruitment of others
To the north in Muidumbe district, insurgents killed three people in the village of Xitaxi on the N380 in Muidumbe district on 27 March, according to a claim IS released through its Telegram channels. This has not been verified by other sources. However, one local source claims that Xitaxi is now abandoned, along with the nearby town of Miangelewa, due to sustained ISM activity since November 2024.
ISM remained active in Mocímboa da Praia district. IS claimed the killing of three people on 26 March on the road between Chinda and Mbau. IS also issued a claim for the killing of two more in the same area the next day.
The administrator of Mocímboa da Praia, Sérgio Cipriano, told Ikweli that Defense and Security Forces preempted an attack on Awasse at the N380 junction on 29 March, having found three insurgents surveilling the village. They fled after they were discovered, but the security forces pursued and captured one, according to Ikweli.
Violence returns to Ancuabe
Insurgent attacks in villages between 31 March and 2 April led to the displacement of over 1,400 people in Ancuabe district, according to the International Organization for Migration. On 31 March, insurgents attacked Nonia and Miegane villages. IS said the attackers burned more than 20 homes of the “Mozambican militia” in Nonia and killed a member of the Naparama militia in nearby Miegane, where they burned three more homes. It also shared a picture of the deceased victim, who was dressed in the red sash and carrying the red ceremonial baton of the Naparama. The villages lie approximately 15 km northeast of the N14, and about 20 km northwest of the RDF’s Ancuabe base.
Mozambican news outlets disagreed about the total number killed. ZumboFM reported that there were six fatalities in Nonia, including the militiaman, identifying him as a member of the Local Force. Moz24h said a member of the Local Force had been killed alongside two civilians. Nonia and Miegane may have been conflated with each other due to their proximity. The IS photo indicates one of the victims was almost certainly a member of the Naparama and not the Local Force.
On 2 April, IS said it killed a person near the gold mining village of Muaja on the N14 highway, approximately 50 km east of Montepuez town. Local sources told Cabo Ligado that the insurgents stayed at the mining site for two days.
ISM reappears in Montepuez
On 5 April, insurgents attacked Namoro village, approximately 50 km north of Montepuez town on the R698 to Mueda. Details of the incident are unclear, but one source told Cabo Ligado that the insurgents burned homes and kidnapped several people. This attack may have been launched from around Ravia village in Meluco district, a gold mining site where insurgents have appeared repeatedly since January. One local source reported an insurgent presence in Ravia and around the Mitepo gold mining site on the Montepuez river on 30 March.
Focus: ISM take to the roads and mines for financing
Both roadblocks and kidnapping on the N380 and attacks on artisanal mining communities in Meluco were likely ISM efforts to raise money. There is some risk to using roadblocks in the expectation of a swift ransom payment via mobile money networks, but the actions also indicate weak security measures in mobile money registration systems. Informal mining sites are a less certain source of income, and demand skills, time and knowledge that the insurgents may not have. While a reliance on local financing is to be expected, the intensity of recent actions suggests that ISM is not receiving any significant external funding for the moment.
The kidnappings on the N380 last week may have raised over $3,000 US dollars through mobile money transfers. Insurgents are able to receive the ransoms via mobile money transfers if they register accounts using convincing fake identities, or if mobile money agents turn a blind eye to their misuse of identity documents during registration. Withdrawal of cash does not require proof of identity, just access to the mobile money account.
The use of mobile money networks last week indicates that recent, unspecified steps taken by mobile network companies to guard against their use in terrorist financing are far from effective. While transfers from overseas may attract immediate scrutiny, the scale of domestic transfers is such that close scrutiny is unlikely to be feasible. There were over 224,000 mobile money agents in 2024. Under existing regulations, the lowest level of scrutiny is for accounts with a maximum balance of 200,000 Mozambican Meticals (US$3,130). On ISM’s part, the use of mobile money last week suggests the group has an active support network in a number of urban areas. Network security depends on registering new accounts frequently, and likely in a number of locations, to avoid detection through an examination of transaction patterns. Without significantly tightened procedures around transactions, mobile money will likely remain a significant channel for ISM financing.
Attacks on civilians and looting at mine sites are a new development. Last week, insurgents entered artisanal mining areas at Ravia, Majua, and Mitepo in Meluco district. ISM attacked Ravia twice before in January, and February this year, the first violence recorded there since the conflict began. Prior to 2025, ISM appearances at mine sites have been more benign. For example, in January 2023, insurgents appeared in Ravia to purchase supplies. Their appearance at the mines at Mitepo on 30 March was purposeful — a group of insurgents had asked directions to the mine one week earlier. There has subsequently been an unconfirmed report that insurgents returned from the mines with gold.
If mine appearances are an effort to collect funds, they are not without risk. First, selling illegally mined gold is a time-consuming process. Recent research by Jerry Maquenzi of the Observatory of the Rural Environment in Maputo reveals that these sales may require getting the gold to Nampula or Montepuez, and possibly Tanzania, and the product will be priced at a discount to reflect its illicit nature. Second, attacks depopulate mining areas. Over 3,000 people fled Ravia in the wake of the February attack. Unless ISM plans to start mining or to extract rent from miners in place, the income may not be sustainable.
Roundup
Nampula governor reaches out to Naparama
The governor of Nampula province, Eduardo Abdula, has taken a conciliatory approach to Naparama militias in Mutuali Administrative Post, almost 250 km west of the provincial capital. According to residents, local officials had abandoned the area after public offices were destroyed in the violent post-election unrest led by Naparama militia in the town. Mutuali was also one area where unauthorized elections were held to appoint local administrators.
Abdula visited Mutuali on 2 April, promising a return to normality. While security forces are back in the town, they are not taking action against youth involved with the Naparama. Indeed, on the weekend of 5 April, the local authorities organized a football tournament involving Naparama and other youth as a means of reconciliation, according to a source close to the governor. Abdula’s strategy runs contrary to President Daniel Chapo’s more aggressive approach to the Naparama, which he reaffirmed at a recent meeting of Frelimo’s Central Committee.
National counterterrorism center established
Mozambique’s National Center to Combat Terrorism and Violent Extremism (CNPCTEV) was established in law on 24 March. The National Strategy for the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and Violent Extremism was also approved. The CNPCTEV sits under the Ministry of National Defense, cementing the military’s role in counterinsurgency operations. Prior to 2021, counterinsurgency operations had been led by the police. A director and staff are yet to be appointed.
Mozambique to participate in India-Africa joint naval exercise in Tanzania
The Indian navy and the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF) are to jointly host a naval exercise in mid-April. The exercise will also include the Mozambican navy, as well as those of Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and South Africa. The six-day exercise, called “Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement,” comes as the participant countries aim to increase cooperation in tackling maritime security threats, such as piracy, trafficking, and unregulated and unreported fishing, through sharing of information and surveillance, the Indian navy said.
First book-length treatment of the conflict published
Ethale Publishing launched Armando Nhantumbo’s “A Guerra em Cabo Delgado” (“The War in Cabo Delgado”) on 9 April, the first book on the conflict. A journalist with Mediacoop, Nhantumbo has covered the conflict since the start, writing primarily in Savana, and also contributing to Cabo Ligado.
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