Islamic State carries out boldest attack in years in Mozambique | World News

Islamic State-allied insurgents attacked the town of Macomia in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, their boldest target in more than three years. The government said its army successfully repelled the attack after 45 minutes of fighting.

The violence is the latest in a series of attacks since December. It signals an escalation in unrest just as the Mozambican government is pushing for TotalEnergies SE to restart development of a $20 billion liquefied natural gas project that was frozen in 2021 after insurgents attacked the nearby city of Palma, killing more than 800 people killed people.

The rebels attacked Macomia on two fronts before dawn, two people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that more than 100 militants were involved in the attack, citing people it did not identify. Mozambican government forces captured one of the attackers, who later died in custody, and injured a leader who escaped, according to a statement late Friday.

Macomia – about 100 miles south of where TotalEnergies plans to build its gas export facility – is strategically important because it lies on the main road connecting the provincial capital Pemba to the north. Hundreds of soldiers from South Africa have also been stationed there since they were sent to Mozambique in 2021 as the largest part of a regional deployment to combat the insurgency.

The South African National Defense Force will withdraw its troops from Mozambique by July 15, according to the regional bloc to which it belongs.

Rwanda has also sent more than 2,000 soldiers and police to Mozambique under a separate bilateral agreement and they will continue to help the government, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said.

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