Cabo Ligado Update: 16 — 29 June 2025

Jul 2

Written By Cabo Ligado

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By the numbers

Data highlights in Cabo Delgado province (16 - 29 June 2025)

At least 6 political violence events (2,105 in total since 1 October 2017)
At least 14 reported fatalities from political violence (6,084 since 1 October 2017)
At least 1 reported civilian fatality (2,509 since 1 October 2017)
At least 6 political violence events involving ISM across Mozambique (1,939 since 1 October 2017)

Islamic State (IS) last week claimed the killing of 30 Defence Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM) soldiers in an attack in Macomia, though only 13 fatalities could be confirmed. The clash came amid ongoing operations in the Catupa forest area of Quiterajo against Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) by FADM and Rwandan forces. The week before the attack, ISM raised thousands of US dollars by extorting ransoms at roadblocks on the N380 highway west of Quiterajo. ISM’s need to raise funds also helps explain its increasing activity in Meluco district, where it has been particularly active around mining sites.

Situation Summary

The Macomia district of Cabo Delgado province was the scene of significant insurgent activity in the last two weeks, especially around the security forces base in the depths of the Catupa forest. IS claimed to have attacked the camp on 14 June, killing one soldier, and on 17 June it firing four mortars, with no reported casualties. Security forces abandoned the camp following this second incident, but Macomia administrator Tomás Badae said on 27 June that the base had been recaptured, although it’s unclear if it was ever occupied by insurgents. Lusa reported that a joint force of FADM, the Local Force, and Rwandan forces was involved in retaking the camp. Explosions coming from the Catupa forest were heard in the village of Namigure on the evening of 27 June, a local source said, confirming remarks by Badae that fighting was ongoing in the area.

The day after Badae spoke to the media, The Islamic State news agency Amaq reported that insurgents killed 30 soldiers on 27 June in an assault on another army base in the village of Quiterajo on the Macomia coast, but this figure has not been substantiated. The report included an image of 13 bodies in military uniform. Local sources confirmed an attack but did not corroborate the claim of 30 deaths. If confirmed, this would be among the highest numbers of security force casualties reported in a single incident. Amaq said fighting continued for an hour and that insurgents seized weapons and burned the base. Though IS often complements its claims with photographic evidence, in this case it offered none. There is also no base visible in the one image it provided.

On 17 June, ISM set up roadblocks on the N380 highway for several hours between the villages of Quinto Congresso and Chai in Macomia. Several vehicles were stopped and ordered to pay ransoms in exchange for their release. Two truck drivers on their way to Nampula province to buy goods were among those taken hostage, and they were forced to pay 250,000 meticais, a source told Cabo Ligado. One woman filmed herself with a group of around 10 people, including children, walking through the bush back to the N380 after being released by insurgents. In the video, she says they had to pay insurgents between 40,000 and 200,000 meticais. The insurgents abandoned the roadblocks as the Rwanda Defence Force arrived, a local source said. Two days later, insurgents attacked the village of Quinto Congresso, burning several homes and stealing goods, including medical supplies from the store of a community health worker.

ISM fighters returning from their incursion into Niassa province in April appear to have returned east to Macomia. IS claimed to have killed a civilian on 19 June near the village of Minhanha in Meluco, where insurgents had been seen since 8 June. Insurgents were reported northwest of Minhanha, near the village of Mapate in Muidumbe district, just north of the Messalo river, on 22 June. The next day, the Local Force was sent to the area, but insurgents managed to evade them and were seen again crossing the N380, north of the village of Litamanda, between 25 and 27 June, a local source reported.

There were also unconfirmed sightings of ISM insurgents in Quissanga district, near the village of Cagembe on 20 and 23 June. Insurgents have not been active in the district since February, when they killed two Mozambican soldiers in Bilibiza.

Focus: ISM activity in Meluco

ISM activity in Meluco district has increased noticeably in 2025. In the first half of the year, ACLED records 26 events involving ISM, compared to 16 events in all of 2024. Activity peaked in 2022 with 38 events, a level that will likely be surpassed in 2025 (see graph below).

The group’s activity is driven partly by the need for an alternative location due to military operations between the coast and the N380 highway, as well as the district being a route to Ancuabe in the south and Niassa to the west. It may also be driven by funding needs. There are a number of artisanal mines in Meluco, where insurgents have been spotted numerous times this year.

As a site that provides refuge and allows elements of ISM to regroup, sparsely populated Meluco is attractive to insurgents. There is just one FADM position in the district headquarters, and consequently, it is deadly for civilians. Out of the 12 violent incidents involving ISM this year, 10 targeted civilians and accounted for 15 of the 18 fatalities recorded. The group has clashed just once with FADM and once with the Local Force.

The relationship between informal mining and ISM’s financing is less clear. The group’s increased activity around mine sites suggests it may be of growing importance. ACLED records ISM activity around Minhanha, an area long known for gemstone mining, in the north of the district in January, February, and April, and numerous times in June. On 18 June, ISM invaded a gemstone mine at Matandane near the town. ISM has also been active in the gold mining village of Ravia at least six times this year.

Rising activity in Meluco district presents a challenge for counterinsurgency operations. There is a clear need to strengthen FADM and Local Force presence in the district to restrict the movement of fighters and protect civilians. In addressing possible financing, there may be little the authorities can do in the short term to stem downstream trade in gold and gemstones, which is rampant. However, establishing effective intelligence networks in mining communities may help in understanding insurgents’ structures and support operations, and thereby support counter-insurgency efforts.

Roundup

Investigations into LNG-related human rights violations multiply

Mozambique’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) announced on 26 June that it would conduct an inquiry into the allegations made in Politico and Le Monde that Mozambican forces guarding theTotalEnergies-led liquefied natural gas project in Palma district tortured and killed people in the wake of the ISM attack on Palma in March 2021.

CNDH’s inquiry is just the latest of a number of investigations into the 2021 events. In April, the public prosecutor announced that its provincial office in Cabo Delgado would conduct an inquiry. The following month, authorities in France announced an investigation. In June, the Financial Times reported that UK Export Finance, the British government’s export credit agency, has commissioned legal consultancy firm Beyond Human Rights Compliance to investigate the events.

Insurgents increasing child kidnappings, says human rights report

ISM has ramped up child kidnappings in Mozambique of late, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement released on 24 June. Children are mostly taken for forced labor, forced marriage, and fighting, HRW says. HRW called on “Al-Shabab,” as it referred to the insurgents, “to spare children from the conflict and immediately release those who have been abducted.” One source told HRW that at least 120 children had been recently abducted in Cabo Delgado province. The source gave no other details. UNICEF recently noted that child kidnappings were on the rise, though it referred to just one incident of eight being abducted. ACLED data show two incidents in May in which 13 children were abducted by insurgents.

Chapo opens up on negotiation with insurgents, and relations with Rwanda

President Daniel Chapo has opened up the possibility of negotiations with insurgents in Cabo Delgado. Speaking with the press on 22 June, he was firm that counter-insurgency operations must continue, but also that the authorities must “find ways to communicate.” Expanding on the issue, he stressed the need to understand the insurgency and its structures, similar to how the state approached Renamo during the civil war.

The president also alluded to strains in the relationship with Rwanda. He denied the Africa Intelligence report that Mozambique had suspended payments to Rwanda to support the intervention. However, he alluded to strains in the relationship, saying that “there was a misunderstanding and this misunderstanding has been clarified, both on our part (Mozambique) and on Rwanda’s part.” However, he did not make clear the nature of the misunderstanding or its significance.

Chapo commits to supporting Local Force in Mueda

On a visit to Mueda to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Mueda Massacre, Chapo visited the headquarters of the Local Force, saluted them, and stated that supporting the Local Reforms is of the “greatest priority” and has been covered in the most recent budget. He also committed to addressing their “major concerns,” though he did not specify what they were. In recent weeks, Mueda town, where the Local Force manages most security functions, has been under an unofficial but strict curfew. The curfew was ordered by the local authorities and imposed by the Local Force, reflecting the power it wields on the Makonde plateau.

The Local Force’s strategic value in counter-insurgency is reflected in ACLED data. In the first six months of 2025, Local Force activity across Cabo Delgado almost equals that for all of 2024. This has been concentrated in Macomia and Muidumbe, reflecting the locus of the insurgency. The location of the Local Force headquarters, Mueda, reflects the historical importance of the Makonde community to the independence movement. Chapo’s commitment to continuing to support this force, which also has roots in the Frelimo party, signifies its rising importance in northern Mozambique.

Cabo Ligado