Good afternoon. Islamic State-backed insurgents seem to be close to finishing another tour of southern Cabo Delgado province. Once again, the insurgents have responded to attacks by security forces further north by going on the march south and heading towards Nampula province, possibly to pick up recruits. This last happened around the beginning of the year.
The full Daily Briefing continues below for Pro subscribers. Subscribers to the Zitamar News tier can read the top half, including the full leader article, here.
Once again, the security forces have been unwilling or unable to stop them. The insurgents attacked the administrative post of Chiúre-Velho, on Thursday. They have now been roaming around Chiúre district for at least a week, but have not been confronted by either Mozambican or Rwandan government forces. This was not for want of intelligence: even civilians have been able to observe the insurgent movements, and they could easily have been intercepted. Troops of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces have moved in to Chiúre-Velho, but after the insurgents had moved on. Only the Naparama and the Local Force militia groups have confronted the insurgents in the district. This despite the fact that the fighting capability of the Mozambican armed forces in Cabo Delgado has improved significantly in the last few years, as shown by the fierce fighting in Macomia district recently.
