Mozambique Attacks Spill into Tanzania

Monday 13 December 2021 - 6:00pm

Attacks in Mozambique have spread to the Niassa province and Tanzania. Five months ago foreign soldiers went to help Mozambique battle an insurgency in northern Cabo Delgado province. Willem Els from the Institute for Security Studies spoke with eNCA's Dan Moyane. Courtesy of #DStv403

CABO DELGADO - Mozambique’s insurgent attacks have spilt into Niassa province and Tanzania.

Five months ago, foreign soldiers arrived to help Mozambique battle an insurrection in northern Cabo Delgado province.

Insurgents set fire to dozens of homes forcing people to seek refuge.

Willem Els from the Institute for Security Studies said: "What happened in the beginning when the Rwandans went in is they focused on the two areas of Palma where, of course, all the gas extraction or the preparation for that is.

"It seemed that they acted too fast and they did not wait for some forces to be in place in order to form that backstop to block the insurgency once they started to drive them out."

"Yes, the insurgence now spread right through the whole province making it very difficult for some enforcers that are very thinly spread in terms of numbers to contain them and where they got the heat on them they just moved into the adjacent Niassa province and that has also incidentally been a potshot for the insurgency due to the vast areas and very densely bushed areas. You have lots of forests there so it's very easy for them to operate there and difficult for someone to follow up."

eNCA