Militants attacked northern Mozambique on Friday, killing three people and abducting 11 children in a shocking wave of violence.
Palma, a key town near a major TotalEnergies gas project, suffered its first militant strike since a deadly 2021 assault.
Analysts recall that the 2021 attack killed more than 800 people and forced TotalEnergies to halt its LNG project indefinitely.
Around 15 militants entered Palma shortly after midnight, raiding at least four homes, abducting children, and killing one resident, a military official said.
Conflict monitors reported additional casualties, with one man killed and a woman kidnapped, while the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a fatality.
Rwandan-supported Mozambican forces rarely comment on ongoing militant attacks, leaving details of military responses sparse and unverified.
Militants also struck Nangade, 100 kilometres west of Palma, burning homes and a church while looting, villagers said anonymously.
Acled data shows attacks by Islamic State-linked militants have surged across Cabo Delgado and neighboring Nampula in recent months.
Cabo Delgado, a Muslim-majority province, remains one of Mozambique’s poorest regions despite hosting lucrative gas fields attracting global investment.
Security analysts suggest Friday’s strike was strategically timed to cast doubt on TotalEnergies’ planned project resumption this year.
The 2021 assault included subcontractors among its victims, and the insurgency has claimed over 6,200 lives in eight years, Acled said.
The UN refugee agency reported more than 100,000 people displaced this year alone, with nearly 22,000 fleeing in a single week in late September.
UNHCR’s representative warned that 2025 has seen a sharp escalation, with over 500 security incidents targeting civilians, surpassing any previous year.
The violence underscores the persistent danger and fragility of northern Mozambique, where economic ambitions collide with brutal militant campaigns.