Beyond The Gun: Why Military InterventionCannot Be a Permanent Solution in Cabo Delgado

The threat of Rwanda’s withdrawal from Cabo Delgado pending the renewal of funding under the European Union (EU) peace fund should serve as a wake-up call to the Mozambican government. It is clear that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through military intervention. This paper focuses on the Cabo Delgado conflict that has, unsurprisingly, become a protracted war against a jihadist group referred to as the Islamic State Mozambique (ISM). Despite a reduction in large-scale attacks as experienced in early 2021, the jihadist group remains resilient, continuing to carry out attacks against civilians, government, and public infrastructure. Military interventions by SADC and Rwandan forces have weakened the group’s fighting capability, helped recover territory, and facilitated the return of many internally displaced people. However, ISM has shown resilience, carrying out sporadic attacks that leave the general population vulnerable. This paper therefore argues that military intervention, while necessary for immediate security, cannot provide a sustainable as experienced elsewhere across the continent; hence, this should serve as a wake-up call to the government of Mozambique to explore other avenues for sustainable peace. The government must not be preoccupied with extending bilateral military agreements as the best solution to the problem; instead, it must leverage the security space Rwanda offers to tackle the root causes of the conflict.

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