Lead researchers:  Stephen Buchanan-Clarke, Craig Moffat, and Joao Feijo

Partner: Good Governance Africa (GGA) 

Duration: March 2023 – March 2024 

Countries: Tanzania, Mozambique  

Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, has seen sustained armed conflict, fought between violent extremist organisation (VEO) Al-Shabaab and the government of Mozambique, with support from regional and international allies. The conflict has been characterized by gross human rights violations against local communities and caused significant damage to infrastructure, disrupted critical service delivery, and negatively impacted economic activity and livelihood generation.  

Evidence suggests there are significant cross-border dynamics between northern Mozambique and Southern Tanzania which impact upon the conflict trajectory and are critical to policy interventions looking to achieve peace and security in the region. However, there had been little research and accompanying analysis into understanding exactly how these factors intersect to allow for an enabling environment for violent extremist (VE) actors to operate. Moreover, the appreciation of these cross-border dynamics have been largely absent in both military and non-military policy and strategy to improve security in Cabo Delgado. 

This research project addressed this gap in the literature and directly contributed to effective policy interventions by analysing the enabling economic, social, political, and environmental factors which allow violent extremist actors to operate in the Southern Tanzania – Northern Mozambique region. The project took into account some of the local and national policy interventions, such as bilateral security agreement to strengthen border security and counterterrorism cooperation between Tanzania and Mozambique, which had impacted on the operating environment of VE actors in the region, both positively and negatively. The team conducted semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders from local business communities, religious organizations, civil society groups, and other local-level actors.  

For more information regarding this research, contact [email protected]