Good evening. Mocímboa da Praia is not just another front in Cabo Delgado: it is the theatre in which narratives of control, protection and legitimacy are fought. Last week’s insurgent attacks and the level of attention they drew from both civilian and military authorities exposed the fact that the battle for hearts and minds in the town, and in Cabo Delgado more widely, is not going well.
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Locals have returned to the town since 2021 because they were given security guarantees, which have now been exposed as fragile if not worthless. Residents feel betrayed; they do not understand how Rwandan contingents, long seen as the guarantors of stability, did not prevent or swiftly repel the incursion as they once did. Rwandan forces themselves are frustrated that locals did not tip them off, fueling suspicions and reciprocal blame between locals and the Rwandan security forces.
