ABSTRACT

This book uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine the ongoing conflict in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, which has killed thousands and displaced a million people since 2017.

The book investigates how the conflict developed, the regional and international responses and its wider implications. From a broad range of African perspectives, the book addresses issues related to the conflict including international humanitarian law, regional security and terrorism. Part I assesses the regional security concerns of the conflict, the success of cross-border counter-terrorism operations and their implications for the southern African region. Part II focuses on the conflict in relation to international humanitarian law. It discusses the Islamic State's presence in the region, the trajectory and issues pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence and the relationship between the conflict and the environment. Finally, Part III examines regional and continental responses to the conflict, from the military intervention by the Southern African Development Community and Rwanda, to the perceived inaction of the African Union.

The first comprehensive analysis of the conflict in Cabo Delgado, this book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of international humanitarian law, security, African politics, war and conflict studies, terrorism and human rights.

chapter 1|16 pages

Introduction

The evolving conflict in northern Mozambique and the rise of Ansar al-Sunna

part I|65 pages

Regional security dimensions

part II|111 pages

International humanitarian law perspectives

chapter 7|21 pages

Ansar al-Sunna (IS-affiliates) engaging in a mosaic of violence in Mozambique

Terrorists, rebels or both – legal implications and challenges

chapter 8|18 pages

Sexual and gender-based violence in Cabo Delgado

Implications for international humanitarian law and international criminal law

chapter 9|19 pages

Towards the protection of the environment in Cabo Delgado

Looking beyond the existing legal framework and engaging Ansar al-Sunna

part III|84 pages

Regional and continental responses to the conflict

chapter 14|16 pages

The SADC mission in Mozambique

Contextualising the historical role of SADC military operations under international law

chapter 15|16 pages

The military intervention against Ansar al-Sunna in Cabo Delgado

A primer on the law on the prohibition on the use of force and applicable exceptions