Insurgency in Mozambique and its butterfly impacts for Zimbabwe and Southern Africa region

The on-going violent extremism (man-made disaster) in Cabo Delgado region, Mozambique has not only led to butterfly impacts on Mozambique but to Zimbabwe and Southern Africa region as well. Innocent civilians have been abducted, kidnapped and or beheaded in broad daylight. Others witness their homes burnt to ashes and so far, more than 800,000 people have been displaced by this conflict. Jihadist Islamic militants are scaling up attacks on civilians, bombing police stations and army infrastructure, beheadings, kidnappings and other despicable acts of violence. The Mozambique government responded to the insurgency through a military war operation. However, the insurgency has tested the security and defence capability of Mozambique and the SADC region against intensified attacks and capacity by the militants. The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of the Jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado to peace and security for Zimbabwe and the SADC region. Having started in the year 2017, the conflict is still on-going and being confronted by a SADC regional response standby force alongside Rwandan forces. The study employed the qualitative research approach and primary data was obtained through focus group discussions and observation. Secondary data was gathered through literature or document analysis, i.e. perusing, evaluating and reading summaries and conclusions from previous research work, books and journals. The study found that natural resources are one of the major drivers of conflicts. As shown in the study, the unfair distribution of resources fuels threats to peace and security. The discovery of huge gas reserves in Cabo Delgado, an under-developed region where the majority are poor fuelled the on-going conflict. Thus, government policies must address socio-economic inequalities (poverty and under-development) which are latent causes of conflicts, particularly in developing countries, including Mozambique. The conflict has real impacts on the socio-economic aspects of not only Mozambique but also on Zimbabwe and Southern Africa region. A threat of infiltration by Jihadists into Zimbabwe exists and remains high given the porous state of the borderline between the two countries. Therefore, Zimbabwe to increase border patrols and lobby for a regional coordinated response to thwart the insurgency before it spills over into neighbouring countries becomes an urgent priority