Maputo, 08th May, 2020 Boletim Nº 129e IDeIAS Informação sobre Desenvolvimento, Instituições e Análise Social THE FIRST SIGNS OF “AL SHABAAB” IN CABO DELGADO: SOME STORIES FROM MACOMIA AND ANCUABE Sérgio Chichava Introduction rules given by the religious leaders who, from what we “the ideology of the al shabab [Al Shabaab] group “Al Shabaab” began its armed attacks in Cabo Delga- could witness, do not share the same ideals as the supposedly seeks to use religion for armed incursions, do province on 5 October 2017, specifically in Mocím- state authorities (Domingo 2015)”. and hence the government should take measures boa da Praia district. However, before this attack, (Nacedje Community Radio and Television of Maco- members of the public and religious leaders of the The same newspaper also said that the local Muslims, mia 2016b)”3. Muslim community of this province were already who happen to be the largest population group, rejec- speaking about the presence of this group. The press ted and jeered at the head of the locality, because he In June 2017, the newspaper Notícias cited the police also reported the presence of certain “strange ele- was a Makonde and a Christian. It also said that other as saying that three members of the “Al Shabaab” sect ments” in Cabo Delgado who were inciting the popula- religions were unable to establish themselves in Pan- had been captured in Macomia district. They were tion to oppose the lay state through the defence of a gane. It gave the example of the Assembly of God accused of disinformation, lack of respect for the state, radical version of Islam. The purpose of this article is church, which ended up abandoning this region be- and preaching a radical Islam. The journal added that to discuss the first signs of the presence of “Al Sha- cause of local rejection and hostility (Ibid). others had been detained a month earlier, in Quissan- baab” in Cabo Delgado province. To this end, it tells of ga, for the same reasons. At the time, the leader of the some episodes that occurred between late 2015 and At that time, there was nothing to suggest that these Islamic Council of Mozambique (CISLAMO), in Cabo mid-2017 in Macomia and Ancuabe districts and which were activities of “Al Shabaab” and none of the items Delgado, said “This group is no more than a political show the influence of “Al Shabaab” before the attack published in the press mentioned this name. However, movement that is making claims on the government, on Mocímboa da Praia. It also show the reaction of the elements of our research lead to the conclusion that using a certain means to try and win over the commu- Cabo Delgado Muslim community to the arrival of “Al this was the initial phase of “Al Shabaab”. Currently, nity, as if they were Islamic principles when in reality Shabaab” in that region. the locality of Pangane is one of the areas most affec- they are not” (Notícias 2017). ted by the attacks in Macomia district. 1. No alcohol and no schools in Macomia In November 2015, several reports published in the For their part, the authorities of the Qui- papers “Notícias” and “Domingo” indicated that in the terajo administrative post, which is also locality of Pangane, in the coastal district of Macomia, one of the areas most affected by the “Al local Muslim religious leaders were banning the sale Shabaab” attacks, complained in August and consumption of alcohol, arguing that this was 2016, that, under “certain Islamic religi- against the principles of the Islamic religion, and was ous influences” of a local sect, the Pe- one of the main causes of the deviant behaviour of queué Complete Primary School registe- young people in this region (Notícias 2015; Wazir red high drop-out rates from pupils who 2015; Domingo 2015). Because of this, they resorted went to the madrassas instead to force and destroyed all the alcoholic drinks found in (Abubacar 2016)1. Mosque destroyed by the population of Cogolo local shops, in an action that enjoyed the support of (Photo: Nacedje Community Radio and Television of Macomia) part of the local population. The situation remained so tense in Maco- mia that, in October 2016, the population of Cogolo Despite this, and contradicting these facts, the Ma- Once the authorities were alerted, a police contingent village, in the Mucojo administrative post, destroyed a comia police was cited a month later, in July 2017, was sent to the place. As a result, a religious leader, “mosque” of “Al Shabaab”, accusing its adherents of denying the existence of the “Al Shabaab” sect in that accused of leading the “operation”, was detained. This being “youth who do not follow the roots of the old region, stating that what existed was “disturbance of provoked fury from the population who reacted to the Islamic religion” (Nacedje Community Radio and public order by youths who left other mosques becau- detention by attacking members of the police. In these Television of Macomia 2016a)2. se of internal contradictions” and, as a result, “criminal clashes, a policeman was killed, two civilians were proceedings” had been initiated (Abubacar 2017). injured, and a sizeable part of the local population took In December of that year, the Macomia authorities refuge in the bush and on nearby islands. said they now had no doubt about the existence of a However, Amade Abubacar, one of the first journalists group called “Al Shabaab” in the districts. They urged to be arrested by the Mozambican authorities in 2019, The report in the paper “Domingo” said: “… Pangane the population to reject its ideas and to fight against because of his reporting on the attacks in Cabo Del- was an unusual locality; everything done there obeys them. The Macomia authorities were convinced that gado, reiterated that “since last year [2016] there has 1In September 2017, the administrator of Macomia declared again that, under the influence of “Al Shabaab”, children were abandoning the schools. He said that this group wanted “to destroy the nation and the future of the children”, (Nacedje Community Radio and Television of Macomia 2017). 2Two news items published in the paper “Carta de Moçambique”, on 5 and 7 December 2018, and probably written by Amade Abubacar, reporting an attack on Cogolo village, said that young people from the mosque destroyed by the local population had joined “Al Shabaab”. It should be mentioned that, between December 2018 and July 2019, Cogolo was attacked three times by “Al Shabaab”. For more details, see “Carta de Moçambique” (2018a; 2018b; 2019). 3At the time Nacedje Community Radio and Television of Macomia, which is very influential in this district, used to say they were “sons” and “brothers” of Macomia who were following an “ideology”, and insisted that the option should be for dialogue and not for violence as some local people advocated. For more details see Nacedje Community Radio and Television of Macomia 2016b). IESE - Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Económicos; Av. do Zimbabwe nº 1214, Maputo, Moçambique Tel: +258 21 486043; Email: [email protected]; http://www.iese.ac.mz Isento de Registo nos termos do artigo 24 da Lei nº 18/91 de 10 de Agosto been talk in Macomia of the supposed existence of Shabaab”, but this attempt was in vain because they Abubacar, Amade. 2017. “No distrito de Macomia não há youths with connections to the Islamic group Alshabab would only accept a dialogue if the local school authori- seita Alshabab, afirma comandante da PRM em Macomia”. CAICC. Available at: https://www.caicc.org.mz/diario/?p=7828 [Al Shabaab] which operates in Somalia, and whose ties converted to their ideals and began to attend their (consulted on 12 April 2020 ). mission is to set up an Islamic state in east Africa” (Ibid). mosques (UJOMU 2016a). Bacar, Saíde. 2016. Circular no 1/2016 Para cinco distritos da 2. The “Al Shabaab” assault on the locality of Intutupué In order to solve the situation, the management of the zona sul de Cabo Delgado (Montepuez, Balama, Namuno, Chiure e Ancuabe), Montepuez: CISLAMO. In July 2016, Saíde Bacar, a religious leader affiliated to local school asked for support from the Muslim leaders CISLAMO, issued a circular warning the Muslims of of CISLAMO in Pemba. One of the actions taken by Carta de Moçambique. 2018a. Raparigas são o novo alvo dos Cabo Delgado and the official authorities about a situati- CISLAMO was to send to Intutupué a team from the ‘insurgentes’. Available at: https://cartamz.com/index.php/ on that was happening Ancuabe district, caused by Cabo Delgado Union of Young Muslims (UJOMU) to sociedade/item/305-raparigas-sao-o-novo-alvo-dos- insurgentes (consulted on 21 April 2020). people who called themselves “Ali-Xababi”. According to hold a dialogue with the local community and show them Saíde Bacar, individuals from Chiúre district had entered the “evils” of the actions of “Al Shabaab”. Carta de Moçambique. 2018b. Insurgentes atacam em Cogo- a mosque of CISLAMO in Intutupué, between 4 and 5 lo. Available at: https://cartamz.com/index.php/politica/ June 2016, where they began to preach an Islam which The strategy used by UJOMU to confront the propagan- item/341-insurgentes-atacam-em-cogolo (consulted on 21 April 2020). offended Muslims, because it contradicted what was da of “Al Shabaab” was, in addition to denouncing the practiced in Mozambique and, in general, their principles actions of this group to the government authorities, to Carta de Moçambique. 2019. Insurgência em Cabo Delgado. were not part of this religion (Bacar 2016). hold awareness raising campaigns against terrorism. In Três civis e dois militares morrem em mais um ataque em Macomia.