Maputo, Dec. 10, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique's government said on Wednesday that it was stepping up its preparedness to prevent further extremist attacks in the northern provinces of Nampula and Niassa, acknowledging "prevailing challenges’ in protecting communities.
"In the case of the incidents in Niassa and Nampula, the Defence and Security Forces continue to make every operational effort to prevent further attacks. This involves strengthening the readiness of our forces," not only in these regions, but especially in areas in Cabo Delgado province, said Mozambique's Defence Minister, Cristóvão Chume.
The government is responding to questions from MPs in parliament today, with the defence minister indicating that the government continues to make efforts to stop attacks that this year have spread from Cabo Delgado, also in the north, to the provinces of Nampula and Niassa.
"We would like to reaffirm that the government recognises the challenges involved in combating terrorism, especially those related to protecting communities most exposed to terrorist attacks. However, we continue to favour a holistic and integrated strategy that combines military, humanitarian and development interventions, as well as international military cooperation,’ said Chume.
Mozambique's government has promised to continue strengthening the defence forces, while promoting studies and research aimed at deepening understanding of the architecture surrounding the extremist group, including its logistics and financing, leadership, intentions, and mode of operation.
"The forces deployed in the theatre of operations continue to conduct offensive operations against the enemy with a view to neutralising all terrorist cells and thus strengthening the security and stability of all communities,’ said the Minister of Defence.
Mozambique wants to continue prioritising multilateral cooperation to combat terrorism, including the acquisition of military equipment, while developing its defence industry.
"In the northern theatre of operations, we are facing external aggression led by an international terrorist syndicate, which makes the scenario quite complex, given that transnational terrorism is a hybrid, diffuse phenomenon with complex motivations, intentions and operational structures,’ the minister stressed.
"It is also important to emphasise that the reality of the terrorist group in the northern operational theatre is analogous to all others operating in the sub-Saharan region of our continent, whose common denominator lies in aspects of volatility, in time and space, especially the exploitation of some local vulnerabilities to establish themselves,’ he added.
The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique has been the target of attacks by Islamic extremists for eight years, with the first attack recorded on 5 October 2017 in the district of Mocímboa da Praia. Currently, there are also new movements by armed groups in the district of Memba, in Nampula.
According to the latest report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, of the 2,270 violent events recorded since October 2017, a total of 2,107 involved fighters associated with Islamic State Mozambique (EIM).
These attacks have caused 6,341 deaths in just over eight years, according to the new report, reported by Lusa on 28 November.
The report also addresses the movement of ISM fighters through the districts of Eráti and Memba, in the neighbouring province of Nampula, reporting that "as of 21 November, they had carried out 13 attacks against civilian communities in the two districts and killed at least 21 civilians’.
PME/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
