Maputo – Mozambican writer Mia Couto has urged the government to provide more information on the identity and origin of insurgents attacking Cabo Delgado, saying the public remains largely in the dark. He spoke during an interview with Lusa on Wednesday while launching the “Coleção Gosto de Ler” project in Maputo.
Couto questioned the motives and methods of the armed groups, asking, “Who is there, who are they, what do they want, what is their relationship with the population, what is their main route of entry?” He warned that secrecy, while necessary for national security, should not prevent civil society from understanding the crisis.
Cabo Delgado, rich in gas, has faced armed attacks since October 2017, with recent violence in Chiúre displacing over 57,000 people. The insurgents are linked to Islamic State movements. At least 349 deaths were recorded in northern Mozambique in 2024, a 36% increase from the previous year, according to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies.
Couto stressed the need for a combined military and social response, including policies promoting inclusion, employment, and hope for youth. “Each of our soldiers must also be a humanitarian agent… Soldiers are there to protect lives and property,” he said.
Rejecting the idea that the attacks are driven solely by religion or poverty, Couto pointed to longstanding state absence in the region, noting that locals historically had closer ties with neighboring Tanzania than with Maputo. He said negotiating with the insurgents is unlikely, describing their base as religious and fundamentalist, masking interests in controlling territory and resources.
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