19 killed in combat with terrorists in Mozambique

The Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique claims it has killed 17 terrorists in a Saturday clash that resulted in the destruction of a terrorist base in Cabo Delgado.

The mission confirmed one death and three injuries occurred within its ranks during combat with the terrorists. On Sunday morning another terrorist is said to be have killed and three rifles were confiscated in the area south of Messalo, where the terrorists are suspected to have bases.

Jasmine Opperman, Africa research analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, said on Twitter that despite the causalities, the insurgency was far from defeated. She added that in the last two months, the insurgents were yet again expanding their operational theater from Nangade to Quissanga district, forcing mission deployments into a battlefield of expansive deployments way beyond capabilities.

The mission derives its mandate from the decision of the June 2021 Southern African Development Community Summit to deploy a Standby Force in Mozambique. Mission forces were launched by the community and the host country, Mozambique, in August to help the former Portuguese colony combat rising terrorist attacks and violent extremism in the mineral resource-rich northernmost province of Cabo Delgado.

The community has sent 1,500 soldiers to Mozambique while Rwanda, a non-community member state, and the first country to deploy troops on a bilateral basis, dispatched 1,000 soldiers.