Armed groups along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border have raised concerns ahead of the upcoming elections in South Africa
Zimbabwean border officials operating at the Espangabera border crossing point have shared disturbing information that they have spotted a group of armed men moving south along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border towards the Republic of South Africa (RSA). This information is particularly alarming, especially given the upcoming elections in South Africa and the recent discovery of a cache of the Islamic State of Mozambique (ISM), also known as Ahlu Sunna wal-Jama’a in Mozambique.
The Mozambican armed forces are now actively conducting operations to search for hidden ISM cells and caches. One of the latest such operations took place recently near Malala village in Nampula province, where soldiers of the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces (FADM) discovered a large cache of ISM weapons and documents.
Following the discovery of the ISM cache in Malala, photographs were taken of an impressive arsenal of weapons and ammunition. In addition, photographs and maps with marked addresses, including of government buildings in Pretoria, are of particular interest. Given this information, the armed men spotted by the Zimbabwean border guards may well be militants of the ISM.
In turn, the Zimbabwe Border Guard Service immediately notified their Mozambican counterparts of the sighting of a group of armed men. It is noted that the men are clearly not police officers or members of the Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM). This raises serious concerns as ISM militants have recently shown interest in South Africa, as shown by the weapons and documents discovered in the ISM cache.
It should be noted that South Africa is scheduled to hold general elections on May 29. This event is likely the reason for the ISM’s activity and raises concerns about possible Islamist attempts to destabilize the country, sow chaos and disrupt the elections.
Given the interest of the ISM in South Africa and the upcoming elections in that country, measures should be taken to ensure security and prevent possible attempts to destabilize the region. Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa should cooperate to share information and coordinate actions to prevent the potential threat from the ISM and ensure the peaceful conduct of elections in South Africa.
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