Inside Mozambique’s jihadist war
Through extensive interviews in Cabo Delgado, researchers shed light on the inner workings of Al-Shabab
Experts on the seven-year war in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province have illuminated the workings of jihadist group Al-Shabab, with sociologist João Feijó describing the local insurgent group as a “franchise” of the global Islamic State (IS) “brand”.
“Al-Shabab has autonomy to act but uses the IS brand to get the discipline, ideology and techniques for recruitment, training, indoctrination and artisanal explosives,” said Feijó. “But the majority of weapons don’t come from abroad. They are stolen in attacks on the Mozambican defence and security forces.” To illustrate this, Feijó described how Al-Shabab looted military vehicles and weapons during a raid on the coastal town of Mocímboa da Praia, then used this equipment to attack TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Palma in March 2021, killing hundreds of locals and dozens of Total contractors. ..
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