Mozambique’s insurgency: what the US blacklisting means
Designating ISIS in Cabo Delgado as terrorists could generate new impetus but will it stop terrorism?
On 11 March the United States designated the ISIS-linked insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province as a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ and their leader, Abu Yassir Hassan, a ‘specially designated global terrorist’. More than 2 000 people have been killed and over 600 000 displaced in violence linked to the group.
The designation requires the US government and its allies to vigorously pursue all those associated with ISIS in Mozambique by freezing, confiscating and seizing their assets and funds held in the US or by US entities. The decision could speed up efforts to end the insurgency but will also create new counter-terrorism challenges. This seminar explores the implications of the US designation on national, regional and international efforts in northern Mozambique.
Chair: Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Senior Researcher, ISS Pretoria
Speakers:
Martin Ewi, Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, ENACT, ISS
Emilia Columbo, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC
Yusuf Adam, Associate Professor, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
