The terrorist actions of the Islamic State in Mozambique are worrisome, an international expert said this week at the United Nations Security Council..

Weixiong Chen, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, who said that "terrorism does not exist in a vacuum," stressed that, as in Mozambique, the situation has become more worrying in the western and central regions of Africa.

Speaking in New York at a meeting on threats to peace and security, Chen addressed the complexity of fighting the actions of terrorists.

"We face a number of overlapping global challenges that may complicate our responses against terrorism and exacerbate the threat posed by Da'esh (Islamic State) and other terrorist groups," Chen said as quoted by VOA.

Experts have often warned that terrorist groups exploit conflict dynamics, weaknesses in governance, and inequities to incite, plan, and organize attacks.

Chen said that the threat posed by Da'esh and its affiliates remains global and evolving, and despite recent leadership losses, the group continues to take advantage of conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.

"Enhanced multilateralism, international cooperation and global solidarity are the only way to combat a global terrorist threat like Da'esh," Chen suggested.

Addressing Vulnerabilities

Mozambique was mentioned because the province of Cabo Delgado, since 2017, has been the target of an insurgency linked to the Islamic State, which has resulted in the death of at least four thousand people, displaced about one million, and forced the disruption of a billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project.

In the fight against insurgency, Mozambique has, since 2021, the support of the armies of Rwanda and Southern African countries. Before, the fight relied on mercenaries, including those of the Russian group Wagner.

At the New York meeting, Vladimir Voronkov, undersecretary-general of the United Nations Office on Combating Terrorism, urged member states to consider the lasting implications of not taking immediate action to deal with this dangerous situation.

He said that "the persistence of the threat posed by Da'esh, as well as the magnitude of the challenges it poses, highlight the importance of non-military measures to combat terrorism, and deal with its consequences."

"Eliminating conflicts is necessary to create the conditions for their defeat (...) but if we are to get rid of this scourge, we must also address the vulnerabilities, social problems and inequality exploited by the group, as well as promote and protect human rights and the rule of law," Voronkov said.