A Salafi-Jihadi Insurgency in Cabo Delgado? EVOLVING DOCTRINE AND MODUS OPERANDI: VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN CABO DELGADO Thomas Heyen-Dubé & Richard Rands THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD Evolving Doctrine and Modus Operandi: Violent Extremism in Cabo Delgado Thomas Heyen-Dubé and Richard Rands Correspondence to: Thomas Heyen. Email
[email protected] A violent extremist group poses a significant threat to parts of Cabo Delgado province.1 Since its first major attack in October 2017, it has perpetuated a conflict to the detriment of sections of the population and government, as well as disrupting economic development. Little is known about the group and its various cells, and serious scholarly studies on the topic are scarce. There is a considerable amount of confusion in policymaking and academic circles about the nature of the violent extremists (VE) and their relationship to the wider global Salafi-Jihadi community. By analysing the theological underpinnings of VE and their action in Cabo Delgado (CD), we bring clarity to this debate to enable international actors and policymakers in Mozambique navigate the complexities of the situation. From this analysis we conclude the following: • VE are not Salafi-Jihadis as they do not share their ideological and theological understanding of the world. VE do not subscribe to the notions of tawhid, hakkymiya, jihad, al-wala wa-l-bara, and takfir, all key criteria that are consistently found within the Salafi-Jihadi nebula. 1 For this study, the term violent extremism is used, which defines the actions of the group not their beliefs and ideologies (e.g.