Insurgents in the northeastern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado crossed the Lúrio river into Nampula province and attacked the village of Lúrio on 17 June, beheading a civilian, according to Islamic State (IS) social media.
The incident marks the first insurgent attack in Nampula province in the four and half years since the start of the conflict, which so far has been almost entirely restricted to Cabo Delgado.
A group of armed men entered Lúrio at dawn, looted food and shot a local trader in the arm, Mozambican news service Pinnacle News reported. According to Pinnacle, the victim is recovering at a local hospital. Later that day, IS social media channels posted a statement claiming responsibility for beheading one civilian and stealing goods.
Since the start of the insurgency in October 2017, the vast majority of violent incidents have been concentrated in Cabo Delgado. In December 2021, a brief insurgent offensive into Niassa, to the west, saw five people killed and several kidnapped but attacks in the province had largely stalled by January.
Insurgents have also launched sporadic raids across the Rovuma river into Tanzania, which have mostly involved small groups looking for provisions.
It is not clear if insurgent supply lines are robust enough to sustain an offensive in Nampula, but this expansion of the insurgency’s borders will cause further problems for security forces which are struggling to contain attacks in Cabo Delgado.
News article produced by Zitamar under the Cabo Ligado project, in collaboration with ACLED and Mediafax. The contents of the article are the sole responsibility of Zitamar News.
