This study explores how the conflict in Cabo Delgado Province has disrupted critical cross-border connections utilised by communities in northern Mozambique. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between August 2023 and January 2024, the research reveals that security interventions implemented to prevent conflict spillover may have inadvertently weakened cross-border connections, which play an important role in community resilience capacities. The disruption spans economic dimensions (constrained trade networks), environmental and service access (reduced healthcare and educational opportunities), and socio-cultural bonds (severed familial connections). The study contributes to resilience theory by highlighting the importance of cross-border relationships in conflict-affected borderland regions and underscores the importance of policy alternatives that better balance security concerns with community resilience needs.
This article was published in the South African Journal of International Affairs.