At the Mapupulu site for internally displaced persons a woman is seen patting mud into the frame of the hut her family is building after having fled the armed conflict happening in Northern Mozambique, Cabo Delgado province (file photo). With violence by armed groups spreading beyond Mozambique's northernmost province of Cabo Delgado into neighboring Niassa province, President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday cautioned against panic. The report also noted challenges with border security in northern Mozambique: "Terrorists are known to cross the porous border with Tanzania, which serves as a recruitment and transit point for terrorist and criminal organizations." Observers long have warned that the insurgency likely could not be contained to Cabo Delgado. In Ratner's view, "the most pressing issue" in Cabo Delgado is a food shortage, leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable and desperate.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 18, 2021 13:37 UTC