The situation in northern Mozambique is coming to a head again. Islamist groups attacked the coastal town of Palma, murdering 90 people and looting numerous goods, possibly for further attacks. Thousands sought refuge on foot and by sea in the port of Pemba (picture). Even if the so-called IS claims responsibility for the act, the attackers are probably driven less by Islamism than by poverty. The government in Maputo, however, seems to be pursuing its own interests and is fighting the problem purely militarily.
Islamist groups in northern Mozambique have been regularly attacking innocent people and police stations for around three years. We have reported on this. Now the violence is on the rise again. On March 24, the small town of Palma was the scene of the largest and most violent attack to date. In the afternoon, numerous Islamists were suddenly in the city and targeted banks and a World Food Program food warehouse. It is suspected that the terrorist militia had sneaked into the city days earlier and hidden with allies. However, the attack was also supported by the sea. For ten days, the fighters roamed the city, murdering and looting.
According to current information, 90 people fell victim to the attack, many of whom were beheaded. Among the victims were at least seven foreigners, most likely employees of international natural gas companies. Around 20,000 people fled from Palma to the surrounding villages and towns – boats full of refugees lined up outside the port of Pemba (pictured). Many tried to flee across the border to Tanzania, just a few kilometers away, but were turned back. The Islamist group also captured cash, weapons, ammunition, vehicles and 90 tons of food – supplies for renewed attacks, it is feared.
The so-called IS claimed responsibility for the attack early on, but the photos and videos used as evidence were demonstrably older. It is a well-known pattern to claim responsibility for Islamist attacks by others in order to show strength. However, subsequent investigations show that the terrorists are mainly young men from the region and are driven less by Islamism than by hatred of the government and financial prospects. At least that is the testimony of the two dozen women who were freed from the hands of the attackers.
The leaders of the terrorist militia, on the other hand, are mostly male, well-educated foreigners, mainly from Tanzania. They belong to the originally Somali al Shabaab militia. The group capitalizes on the anger of the disconnected youth in Cabo Delgado and stirs up resentment towards the “infidel government in Maputo” and the “plundering” foreign gas companies.
In his article, the journalist João Feijó, who interviewed the liberated women, shares our view that there will be no peaceful solution to the conflict in the short term as long as the government does not deviate from its previous course. The government is limiting itself to attributing the reasons for the attacks solely to the extremism of the so-called IS, instead of taking measures against the social grievances to remove the breeding ground for them.
The government’s reluctance to accept international aid that has already been offered suggests that it does not want any external observers, aid organizations or troops there. This would possibly put pressure on it to allow the population to share in the profits from the natural gas licenses and to combat poverty. Presumably, this would also mean that grants to officials of the ruling party Frelimo would dry up. With international attention, the methods of South African mercenaries and Mozambican soldiers would also come under close scrutiny. They are known for their lax approach to human rights.
We demand that the international community pay more attention to the situation in northern Mozambique and provide both military and humanitarian aid. More information must be available on what exactly is happening there and the government must communicate openly and invest in the needs of the local population. Because as we already described in October ” there will only be long-term peace in the country if the poorer sections of the population also get a slice of the huge resources being exported and young people in the country are given real prospects. We work on this with our partners every day .”
Jonas Wagner-Mörsdorf, Samuel Rink
Photo: Ton Rulkens/flickr – CC BY-SA 2.0
