Rwandan and Mozambican troops retook [11] the port city of Mocímboa da Praia on Aug. 9 from Islamist militants—their last stronghold in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province. The 1,000 Rwandan troops, who arrived in the country last month to help the government battle a four-year insurgency, have proved their effectiveness [12] in a series of skirmishes. They are also being joined by units [13] from regional neighbors [14] Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. But analysts are warning that the insurgents—known colloquially as al-Shabab (see list of alternative names [19])—are choosing not to stand their ground, preferring to retreat into the countryside. Military force doesn't address the drivers of the conflict [15], nor does it prevent ill-disciplined Mozambican troops—who often struggle to distinguish between insurgent and civilian—from stoking further tensions [16] through abuses of the populace [17]. More than 3,000 people have been killed and 820,000 displaced by the conflict.
From The New Humanitarian [20], Aug. 13
