MAPUTO
The small group of militants were dismissed as bandits and machete-wielding gangs by Mozambique s government after they began launching attacks in the country s northernmost Cabo Delgado province in October 2017.
At a glance: Cabo Delgado’s rapid descent
570,000 people displaced – the vast majority since January.
Militants control key transport routes, waterways, and strategic towns.
Brutal attacks indicate an attempt to depopulate parts of the province.
Local communities form self-defence militias to protect their towns and villages.
Administrative obstacles and access constraints hamper aid operations.
Poor conditions await displaced people in government-run camps.
A little more than three years later, the jihadists count thousands in their ranks and end 2020 having seized towns, launched deadly cross-border raids, and displaced more than half a million people – the vast majority over the past few months.