Rwandan soldiers patrol a village in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique.

An insurgency allied with the Islamic State has been waging a bloody campaign in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province for almost a decade. After a lull in fighting that lasted most of last year, militants spread southward through the isolated province in late 2023 and early 2024, burning houses, schools and churches as they went.

Mozambican soldiers.

A surge in violence in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado underscores the complex nature of the conflict there. After a period of reduced activity over the past three years, the insurgency has engaged in a series of high-profile attacks since December, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive approach to the conflict.

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