Good afternoon. After a relatively quiet first quarter, insurgent activity in Cabo Delgado is once again spreading across the province. Attacks have recently been reported in Macomia, Mocímboa da Praia, Nangade, Mueda, Meluco, Ancuabe and Chiúre, while roads, villages, artisanal mining sites and Catholic churches have all been targeted.
The pattern does not necessarily suggest a major guerrilla resurgence. If anything, the renewed reports of decapitations and church burnings point more toward a campaign of intimidation and propaganda than a conventional territorial offensive. Earlier phases of the conflict also relied heavily on symbolic brutality designed to project strength, spread panic and remind local populations that the insurgents remained present despite military pressure. That appears to be happening again.
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Recent attacks on Catholic churches in Ancuabe and Chiúre fit that logic. So do raids on roads and civilian transport routes, including around Mucojo and Mueda. The objective appears less about holding territory than demonstrating mobility and forcing security forces into a permanently reactive posture.
The insurgents also continue to pursue economic and logistical objectives. In Meluco and Ancuabe districts, fighters recently moved through artisanal gold mining areas, including the Ravia and Muaja mining sites. The Mozambique Conflict Monitor, produced by Acled and Zitamar, points out that insurgents briefly occupied the sites, prompting miners to flee, before later capturing dozens of miners for ransom after Mozambican forces withdrew following clashes.
