Cabo Ligado Update

Islamic State-backed insurgents have concentrated attacks in the last two weeks along the Messalo river, from the coast of Mocímboa da Praia district to Muidumbe district, where they exclusively targeted civilians.

In Mocímboa da Praia district, at least one person was killed when he drove a Toyota Landcruiser over an IED on the road between Chinda and Mbau on 29 October. Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility via a social media post with attached photos of the destroyed vehicle. One of the pictures appeared to be a still from a video clip as the IED exploded, suggesting Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) fighters were close by, and had likely deliberately targeted the civilian vehicle through the use of a command wire. This is the twelfth successful deployment of an IED by ISM since April 2024, six of which have targeted civilians.

Elsewhere in Mocímboa da Praia, insurgents killed two people in the coastal village of Marere on the coast on 29 October. Insurgents also claimed to have attacked Mbau on 5 November and burned eight homes. ISM have attacked either civilians or civilian infrastructure in Mbau town at least nine times in 2024, despite the presence of a Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) outpost there.

In Muidumbe, insurgents killed two people in an attack on the village of Mandela on 4 November in an attack claimed by IS and independently confirmed by the Lusa news agency. On 7 November, insurgents attacked the nearby village of Mapate. IS said it killed one person, while Lusa reported that two were beheaded. On 4 November, insurgents tried to invade the village of Miangalewa but there were no reported casualties. Namacande town, five kilometers to the west, came to a standstill the attack as a security precaution following the attack, according to a local source.

Insurgents remain active on the Macomia coast more than three months after the start of the combined Mozambican and Rwandan offensive in the area. IS claimed to have ambushed and killed at least two soldiers between the villages of Cobre and Natogo on 6 November. It said the soldiers were Rwandans, but in pictures subsequently shared by IS, the victims were wearing the uniform of Mozambique’s European Union-trained Quick Reaction Force. The IS photo set also includes pictures of captured modified AK-47 assault rifles.

Insurgents may also have appeared in Meluco district. IS claimed to have clashed with Local Forces in the village of Minhanha, which it identified as being in Muidumbe district, and burned four homes. Lusa reported that the next day insurgents attacked a group of loggers at Minhanha in Meluco district, stole a tractor, and kidnapped several people but later released them. It is unclear if IS made a mistake in the transliteration of a Muidumbe placename into Arabic, or got the district wrong in its statement.

Finally, panic spread through Nangade district on 5 November when insurgents were sighted around the villages of Quinto Congresso, Machava, Mtipuedi, Eduardo Mondlane, and Litingina. Traffic was also suspended on the road between Nangade and Mueda. A local source reported that they believed insurgents were in the district looking for food and supplies.