The town of Mocimboa da Praia in northern Cabo Delgado province was rocked by a jihadist attack on Sunday, September 7, resulting in at least four deaths, including two civilians who were beheaded.
The assault, carried out by insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State, occurred just 80 kilometers from TotalEnergies’ Afungi gas site, highlighting the ongoing fragility of security in the region.
Northern Mozambique has been embroiled in an Islamist insurgency since 2017, with more than 6,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Mocimboa da Praia itself was under jihadist control for nearly a year before Mozambican forces, supported by Rwandan troops, recaptured the town in August 2021. Its strategic location near major energy infrastructure makes it a recurring target for insurgent attacks.
Witnesses reported that the attackers struck on Sunday evening, clashing with Mozambican security forces and their Rwandan allies. Two members of local security forces were killed, and two civilians were executed by beheading.
Other sources suggest as many as four civilians may have been beheaded.
Images circulating on social media purportedly show the victims, though these have not been independently verified. Following clashes with reinforcements from the Rwandan army, the insurgents retreated, leaving the population in panic.
The attack comes at a sensitive time for Mozambique’s energy sector.
TotalEnergies’ $20 billion gas project, suspended after the deadly Palma attack in 2021, is scheduled to resume operations by the end of the European summer.
ExxonMobil is also expected to announce a major investment in the region in 2026.
These projects, critical to the country’s economic future, have increasingly become targets for insurgents seeking to destabilize the state.
Beyond the economic implications, the attacks exacerbate a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced in recent weeks due to escalating violence in southern Cabo Delgado. The British government has issued warnings against travel to multiple northern provinces.
Mozambique’s northern region remains a complex and volatile environment, where the interplay of insurgency, strategic energy projects, and humanitarian concerns continues to challenge efforts to restore lasting peace and stability.
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