Mozambique has long suffered from an acute security crisis due to the activities of armed groups such as Ahlu Sunna wal-Jama'a, also known as Islamic State Mozambique (ISM). As of June 2023, the Islamic State's armed insurgency, which began in October 2017 in Cabo Delgado province, has resulted in more than 6,500 deaths. The situation became particularly acute in January 2024 after ISM launched its "kill them where you find them" campaign. This has seen about 100,000 people have been evacuated from southern Cabo Delgado in the last four months.
The progress made in military offensives is insufficient as ISM militants adapt their strategies. The Islamists operate in small groups, attacking civilians and military targets and integrating into local communities, making them difficult to detect and counter. As the Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM) could not cope with the onslaught of militants, they were assisted by the deployment of forces of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and fighters of the South African PMC Dyck Advisory Group, renowned for their effectiveness in combating terrorism.
Now, the Armed Forces of Mozambique are actively conducting operations to search for hidden ISM cells and caches. Reconnaissance operations are also being conducted outside the borders of Cabo Delgado province. One of the most recent operations took place near Malala village in Nampula province, where FADM troops discovered a large cache of ISM weapons and documents.
Following the discovery of the ISM militant cache in Malala, photographs were taken showing an impressive arsenal of weapons and ammunition. Of particular interest are photos and maps of government buildings in Pretoria, as well as maps with the address of the South African PMC Dyck Advisory Group with photos of its leaders. One of the FADM fighters shared photos of weapons and documents found in the cache with security analyst Gamal Abina.
As noted by the security analyst, this should be alarming information for the intelligence services of South Africa. Obviously, ISM militants are planning a series of terrorist attacks in South Africa and even target the leadership of the South African PMC Dyck Advisory Group. Given that Dyck Advisory Group has distinguished itself with notable successes in Mozambique, ISM terrorists were forced to fight back against this South African PMC. Also, the fact that the cache was found at a distance from the location of the most active cells of the ISM, suggests that some groups of terrorists have already completed the planning of terrorist attacks in South Africa.
Seraphic Ekane is a Cameroonian political analyst who writes on a variety of topics. He writes here in his personal capacity