Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, Jan. 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Analyst Peter Bofin said on Thursday that Islamic State in Mozambique diversified its sources of income in 2025, with kidnappings, extortion and artisanal mining, although it is unclear whether these practices replace or complement external funding.
The Islamic State in Mozambique (ISM) was mainly financed by external aid from the al-Karrar office - the financial and management cell of Islamic State (ISIS) that oversees the group's financial and recruitment operations in central, eastern and southern Africa from Somalia - contextualised the senior analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) organisation for Southern Africa.
Funding via al-Karrar may have been affected by the strengthening of operations against Islamic State structures in Somalia, conducted by Puntland forces with support from the United States and the United Arab Emirates, which began in early 2025, the analyst explained.
As a result, ISM had to diversify its sources of income, which spread to kidnapping, extortion and illegal mining, but without knowing whether these are complementary or substitute practices, explained the researcher in the webinar "Ransom, gold and spoils of war: the new cash flow of the Islamic State in Mozambique".
"Kidnappings for ransom carried out by ISM quadrupled in 2025, accounting for about 10% of the group's total activity that year," he lamented.
ISM's actions in the north of the country include the use of roadblocks to stop people, vehicles and goods, mainly on the N380 road, which connects the south to the north of Cabo Delgado, as well as the hijacking of vessels and crews on the coast.
In some cases, individuals are kidnapped during attacks on villages and later released upon payment of a ransom, he explained.
According to the expert, these practices have broader impacts, restricting the movement of goods essential to the province's economy and hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid.
On the other hand, ISM activity in artisanal and small-scale mining sites for raw materials such as gold and precious stones increased exponentially in 2025.
"This phenomenon coincides with a rise of more than 60% in the price of gold on global markets," he contextualised.
Even so, he pointed out, there is no evidence that the group directly controls mining operations, although there are indications of forced payments and the occasional seizure of gold and precious stones.
Regarding weapons, the researcher said that ISM mainly supplies itself by seizing weapons and ammunition in clashes with state forces - the Mozambique armed forces (FADM) - a practice that has been constant throughout the insurgency but which "intensified significantly in 2025".
ISM was active last year in 16 of the 17 regions of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, and carried out operations in the neighbouring provinces of Nampula and Niassa, he stressed.
The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been the target of extremist attacks for eight years, with the first attack recorded on 5 October 2017 in the region of Mocímboa da Praia.
NYC/AYLS // AYLS
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