Battle of Mbau

Last updated
Battle of Mbau
Part of the 2021 Cabo Delgado offensives of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado
Offensive on Mbau.png
Map of operations on Mbau
Date12 August 2021 - 22 August 2021
Location
Result Mozambican-Rwandan Victory
Belligerents
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda
Islamic State
Al-Shabab
Commanders and leaders
Xavier Antonio [1] Abdulaim (POW)
Muhamudu 
Strength
30 military vehicles, 4 helicopters 80-100 [2]
Casualties and losses
11

The Battle of Mbau was a battle by the joint Mozambican-Rwandan armed forces against ISIS and Al-Shabab in their headquarters of Mbau, a town 50 kilometers southwest of Mocimboa da Praia. [1] The attack on the location was part of the 2021 Cabo Delgado offensives. Mbau was known as the headquarters of Al-Shabaab and the Mozambican counteroffensive on the town resulted in the loss of Mbau, Siri 1, and Siri 2. [3]

Contents

Background

Al-Shabaab with assistance from ISIS had taken control of Mbau during its offensive in Cabo Delgado in August 2020 and has committed numerous atrocities against civilians in the area. [4] Fighting had taken around the town, but Mozambican and Rwandan forces had been repelled from the region. [5]

Fighting

Offensive on the Town

Mozambique as well as Rwandan forces announced a counteroffensive during the insurgency to retake Mbau on 12 August 2021. [6] It was reported that there were more than 30 military vehicles and 4 helicopters arriving in Macomia for the offensive.

Fighting

Fires were reported in the Mbau forest after ISIS had left it during its retreat to Mbau on 17 August. [7] On 19 August, Rwandan and Mozambican troops entered the town along with other towns near the area. [8] On 21 August, Rwandan forces as well as Mozambican forces took control of most of the town, with ISIS troops on the outskirts. [9] It was reported that ISIS fighters had cut down trees to slow down the allied forces. [10] On 22 August, Mozambican and Rwandan forces confirmed the liberation of the town. [11] [12]

War Crimes

Human Rights Watch reported that Al-Shabaab used child soldiers after one of them escaped the Mbau Al-Shabaab Training Centre where he was held captive and later turned into a child soldier. [13] Numerous civilians have also been killed in Mbau during the fighting.

Aftermath

Shortly after the recapture of the town, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said he would like to join the Mozambican and Rwandan forces in their counteroffensive. [2] Mozambican forces also seized a boat escaping Mbau after the takeover. [14] It was also reported that leader of a Renamo splinter group was captured after he massacred 51 men in Limala, near Mbau. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabo Delgado Province</span> Province of Mozambique

Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique. It has an area of 82,625 km2 (31,902 sq mi) and a population of 2,320,261 (2017). As well as bordering Mtwara Region in the neighboring country of Tanzania, it borders the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The region is an ethnic stronghold of the Makonde tribe, with the Makua and Mwani as leading ethnic minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwanda Defence Force</span> Combined military forces of Rwanda

The Rwanda Defence Force is the military of the Republic of Rwanda. The country's armed forces were originally known as the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War of 1990–1994 and the Rwandan genocide of 1994 against the Tutsi, the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi) created a new organization and named it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Later, it was renamed to its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palma, Mozambique</span> Town in Mozambique

Palma is a town on the northeast coast of Mozambique's Cabo Delgado Province. Less than 32 kilometres (20 mi) away is the border with Mtwara Region of Tanzania to the north and north-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mocímboa da Praia</span> Place in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

Mocímboa da Praia is a port town in northern Mozambique, lying on the Indian Ocean coast, in Cabo Delgado Province. It is used as a border post for travel to and from Tanzania even though it is 127 km from the border by road. It is the seat of Mocímboa da Praia District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesotho Defence Force</span> Military of Lesotho

The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesotho. Since the mountainous kingdom is completely landlocked by South Africa, in practice the country's external defence is guaranteed by its larger neighbour, so the armed forces are mainly used for internal security. The LDF is an army with a small air wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Cabo Delgado</span> Armed conflict in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

The insurgency in Cabo Delgado is an ongoing Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, mainly fought between militant Islamists and jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region, and Mozambican security forces. Civilians have been the main targets of terrorist attacks by Islamist militants. The main insurgent faction is Ansar al-Sunna, a native extremist faction with tenuous international connections. From mid-2018, the Islamic State's Central Africa Province has allegedly become active in northern Mozambique as well, and claimed its first attack against Mozambican security forces in June 2019. In addition, bandits have exploited the rebellion to carry out raids. As of 2020, the insurgency intensified, as in the first half of 2020 there were nearly as many attacks carried out as in the whole of 2019.

Dyck Advisory Group is a private military company based in Velddrif, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Shabaab (Mozambique)</span> Islamist militant group active in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

Al-Shabaab, also known as Ansar al-Sunna or Ahlu Sunna Wal Jammah, is an Islamist militant group active in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique. Since October 2017, it has waged an insurgency in the region, seeking to undermine the secular FRELIMO government and establish an Islamic state. It has occasionally captured territory from the government and has been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Central Africa Province</span> Central African branch of the Islamic State

The Central Africa Province is an administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadist militant group and unrecognised quasi-state. As a result of a lack of information, the foundation date and territorial extent of the Central Africa Province are difficult to gauge, while the military strength and activities of the province's affiliates are disputed. The Central Africa Province initially covered all IS activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. In September 2020, during the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, IS-CAP shifted its strategy from raiding to actually occupying territory, and declared the Mozambican town of Mocímboa da Praia its capital. After this point, however, the Mozambican branch declined and was split off from IS-CAP in 2022, becoming a separate IS province.

This article lists events from the year 2020 in Mozambique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mocímboa da Praia offensive</span> Islamic State operation during the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado

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Abu Yasir Hassan, also known as "Yaseer Hassan" or as "Abu Qasim", is a Tanzanian national who currently serves as one of the leaders of the Islamic State's Mozambique province. By August 2020, the group had evolved into a proto-state after the group captured Mocímboa da Praia and several other areas of Cabo Delgado Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Palma</span> Battle for the control of Palma in Mozambique

The Battle of Palma or the Battle for Palma was fought during late March and early April 2021 over control of the city of Palma in Mozambique, between the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces, other Mozambican security forces and private military contractors on one side, and Islamist rebels reportedly associated with the Islamic State (IS) on another side. The Islamists invaded the city, killing dozens of people before Mozambique regained control days later. Palma was left destroyed, and a major oil and gas company decided to suspend all operations in the area due to the battle. Researchers have described the battle as an overall success for the insurgents. The rebels also maintained their presence in the town's surroundings, and continued to raid Palma in the following weeks. The battle was part of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, which started in 2017 and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, mainly local civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Cabo Delgado offensives</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SADC Mission in Mozambique</span> Peacekeeping mission

The Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) is an active regional peacekeeping mission operated by the Southern African Development Community in Northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mucojo</span> Military engagement

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mocímboa da Praia</span>

On June 27, 2020, jihadists from al-Shabaab raided the city of Mocímboa da Praia in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique. Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the city following brutal crackdowns against civilians by the Mozambican government, and in their attacks, destroyed homes and killed more civilians. A Mozambican counteroffensive aided by South African mercenaries of the Dyck Advisory Group renewed fighting in the city, with the mercenaries being criticized for their indiscriminate shooting of civilians.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mozambique: Mozambican and Rwandan Forces Take Mbau". allAfrica.com. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "After Rwanda has done the heavy lifting in Mozambique, Museveni says he now wants in". The New Times. 22 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. "Mozambican and Rwandan forces take Mbau - Watch". Mozambique. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. "Mozambique: Civilians Prevented from Fleeing Fighting". Human Rights Watch. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. "Rwanda says it has killed 14 insurgents in Mozambique". news.trust.org. Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  6. "Troops seen in Macomia for next stage of Cabo Delgado offensive". Zitamar News. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 9-15 August 2021". Cabo Ligado. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  8. "Rwandan-Mozambican troops attack Rebels in Mbau" . Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. "Ingabo z'u Rwanda zigaruriye ibirindiro by'ibyihebe bya Mbau muri Mozambique". Rwanda Broadcasting Agency News. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  10. "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 16-22 August 2021" (PDF). 24 August 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. "SADC force claims it has brought stability to Mueda, Macomia and Nangade". Zitamar News. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  12. "Mozambican and Rwandan forces take Mbau - Watch". Mozambique. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  13. "ISIS-linked Group Using Child Soldiers in Mozambique". Human Rights Watch. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  14. "Mozambique: Mozambican Forces Seize Suspect Boat". allAfrica.com. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  15. Esau (i_esau), Iain (12 October 2021). "Mozambique: Two insurgency leaders killed in Cabo Delgado | Upstream Online". Upstream Online | Latest oil and gas news. Retrieved 30 September 2022.