Islamic State Mozambique Province and the Significance of Changing International Responses

(The Soufan Center) Islamic State Mozambique Province, which launched a successful insurgency in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, has recently expanded its operations despite the group’s degradation since its 2021 peak. Rwanda, which has threatened to withdraw its troops from Mozambique unless it secures more European Union funding, was critical to the counterinsurgency campaign in Cabo Delgado. Major investments by European companies in Mozambique’s natural gas fields have resumed, a critical hedge as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has once again underscored Europe’s precarious energy dependence. Data indicates that Islamic State Mozambique Province has significantly diversified its income portfolio through kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion schemes in 2025, although the motives behind its changing finances remain unclear. – Islamic State Mozambique Province and the Significance of Changing International Responses – The Soufan Center