Good afternoon. The Islamic State-backed insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province is on the move. Dozens of fighters have been observed making a concerted push southward over the last fortnight into the province’s Quissanga district, where they have hardly set foot since September last year, as reported in the forthcoming update from Cabo Ligado, our sister information service on the conflict, published tonight. Their objective so far is unclear, but they have approached communities with assurances that they come in peace.
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Freya Graham
These assurances are hard to take seriously while insurgents further north are still burning villages, kidnapping people and beheading prisoners. Around 5,600 children fled their homes due to attacks or the fear of attack in September, according to the latest situation report by the United National Children’s Fund (covered below). In Macomia district, insurgents purported to renounce violence against civilians for several months, only to abduct 30 people from Pangane village in September, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of the entire area.
