The violent escalation of an insurgency in northern Mozambique last month has whipped up fresh concerns about security in southern Africa, a region that has enjoyed relative stability in recent decades.
The recent escalation began when more than 100 well-armed rebels attacked Palma on March 24 and held more than half of the strategic centre for more than 10 days.
Islamic State-linked militants raided the coastal town of Palma on March 24, killing dozens and forcing thousands of residents to flee and pushing France’s Total to desert a nearby multi-billion-dollar gas project.
The deftly planned assault marked a major intensification in an insurgency that has wreaked havoc across Cabo Delgado province for over three years as the jihadists seek to establish a caliphate.
Nyusi announced that government forces had regained control of Palma, after a prolonged battle with the rebels.
Five southern African leaders — the presidents of Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe met with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in Maputo for emergency talks, as part of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community known as SADC, to tackle the disconcerting issue of the jihadist violence in northern Mozambique.
Botswana’s leader and SADC chair Mokgweetsi Masisi said there was a need for an “integrated and coordinated regional approach” to deal with terrorism.
Masisi said the violence represented a “serious threat to peace and security” not only in Mozambique but “but also to the whole region and humanity at large”.
The leaders said that they will consider regional response at a further summit in three weeks.
