Mozambique jihadist victory not imminent, UN expert says

A United Nations special rapporteur has said a military victory over jihadist insurgents in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province does not appear imminent.

Ben Saul made the assessment in a report released Friday after visiting Mozambique from August 4 to 14 to examine the consistency of the country's counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices.

Mozambique is fighting an insurgency in Cabo Delgado linked to the Islamic State group. The conflict has included attacks on civilians and security forces, including beheadings, and has displaced large numbers of people.

"The frequency, severity and scale of attacks against civilians have increased over the past year," Saul said.

The report said Rwandan forces, deployed since 2021 to support Mozambique's army in an EU-backed operation, had helped dampen hostilities. But it said the current posture was "offensive defence" rather than active pursuit of the non-state armed group, and warned that this risked enabling the group to rebuild.

The report cited data from Acled saying the conflict caused 6,632 deaths, including 2,772 civilians, from 2017 to mid-2026. It said about 1.5 million people had been displaced and 1.7 million required humanitarian assistance in 2026.

Cabo Delgado contains large gas reserves that have drawn companies including TotalEnergies, ENI and ExxonMobil. UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council and do not speak for the United Nations itself.