1 year ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
Image source, AFP
Locals have suffered a six-year insurgency
By Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service
The government of Mozambique says its armed forces have killed the leader of a jihadist group linked to Islamic State which is fighting in the north of the country.
The defence ministry said Bonomade Machude Omar - also known as Ibn Omar - had led the insurgents since the start of the conflict in 2017.
A statement said he was killed along with two associates.
Two years ago, the US state department designated Omar as a terrorist leader.
It blamed him for attacks in Cabo Delgado province, including the killing of dozens of people at a hotel in Palma.
The UN says the violence in northern Mozambique has forced more than a million people to flee their homes.
The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been a magnet for Islamists seeking to exploit its lucrative natural resources. Numerous multinational companies operate in the area.
Yet there are high levels of poverty among local Mozambicans, while disputes over access to land and jobs have contributed to local grievances which are exploited by jihadist recruiters.
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