Maputo, Feb. 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The Mozambican head of state acknowledged on Tuesday that combating terrorism remains a "major challenge" for the country, despite the joint forces remaining steadfast on the ground, ensuring the return of communities to their areas of origin.
"Terrorism remains our great challenge at the moment, but while we fight terrorism, we do not stop developing the province of Cabo Delgado and our beautiful Mozambique," said Mozambican president Daniel Chapo during the celebrations on 3 February, Mozambican Heroes' Day.
The Mozambican state designated 3 February as Heroes' Day in honour of the founder of the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) party, Eduardo Mondlane, who was assassinated on this date in 1969.
Eduardo Mondlane died when a bomb hidden in a book he was holding exploded in an attack attributed to the now defunct International and State Defence Police (PIDE), an entity of the Portuguese colonial regime.
Marking the day in Mozambique's Heroes Square in the capital Maputo, Daniel Chapo praised the efforts of the defence and security forces (FDS), the local and foreign forces supporting efforts to end extremist attacks in Cabo Delgado province, with incursions also reported in Niassa, also in the north of the country, noting that this is the path to development.
"Among the greatest challenges of the moment, ending terrorism in some regions of Cabo Delgado province remains our major concern. Our FDS, with the support of Rwandan forces on the border, Tanzanian forces, and the active participation of local forces, remain determined in this fight, allowing the return of communities to their areas of origin and the resumption of gas projects in the Rovuma basin," said Daniel Chapo.
The Head of State and the Chairman of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, visited the Afungi complex in Cabo Delgado on 29 January to launch the official resumption of the project, almost five years after its suspension following the decision by the French oil company, leader of the Mozambique LNG consortium, to invoke the “force majeure” clause in the face of terrorist attacks in the region.
For the Mozambican president, the resumption of this mega gas project, valued at US$20 billion (€17.5 billion), is a sign of the security that now exists in Cabo Delgado, which also allows for the development of other industrial projects.
"We will continue to carry out reconstruction work on destroyed infrastructure in order to ensure the normal functioning of public and private institutions, including the restoration of basic services such as energy, water, health, access roads, among other infrastructure, to create better living conditions for the Mozambican people," promised the head of state.
The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been the target of extremist attacks for eight years.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) organisation previously estimated that the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado recorded six violent events in two weeks involving Islamic State extremists, which caused at least three deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since 2017 to 6,432.
According to the latest report by the ACLED Project, of the 2,310 violent events recorded since October 2017, when the armed insurgency began in Cabo Delgado, 2,146 involved individuals associated with Islamic State Mozambique (ISIM).
These attacks have caused 6,432 deaths in eight and a half years, according to the new report, including the three victims reported in this period of less than two weeks.
The report highlights that ISIM, during this period under review, "carried out a rare mortar attack on Rwandan positions in Macomia," amid "continuous clashes" with Rwandan forces supporting the Mozambican military in combating insurgent groups in Cabo Delgado province.
PME/AYLS // AYLS
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