Rwandan and Mozambican troops retook the port city of MocĂmboa da Praia on Aug. 9 from Islamist militantsâtheir last stronghold in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province. The 1,000 Rwandan troops, who arrived in the country last month to help the government battle a four-year insurgency, have proved their effectiveness in a series of skirmishes. They are also being joined by units from regional neighbors Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. But analysts are warning that the insurgentsâknown colloquially as al-Shabab (see list of alternative names)âare choosing not to stand their ground, preferring to retreat into the countryside. Military force doesn’t address the drivers of the conflict, nor does it prevent ill-disciplined Mozambican troopsâwho often struggle to distinguish between insurgent and civilianâfrom stoking further tensions through abuses of the populace. More than 3,000 people have been killed and 820,000 displaced by the conflict.
From The New Humanitarian, Aug. 13
Map via Moscow Times
