Cyclone Idai: Aid workers scramble to help victims in Mozambique

Jihadis have seized a town and also allegedly attacked a convoy of fleeing civilians, including foreign workers, as fighting continued in the gas-rich region.

In just three years, an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique has killed an estimated 2,600 people. Last week's attack on the town of Palma, which lasted days, should worry neighboring countries, experts say.

The Islamic State group claims responsibility for seizing the northern town of Palma in Mozambique. It's the latest attack in an escalating Islamist insurgency sweeping the region. Also, tensions erupt between students and the government in South Africa over free higher education. Our correspondents went to find out whether cancelling student debt is a viable option. And we catch up with DR Congo music star Fabregas Le Métis Noir in the lead-up to the release of his first French-language album.

The Islamic State group claims responsibility for seizing the northern town of Palma in Mozambique. It's the latest attack in an escalating Islamist insurgency sweeping the region. Also, tensions erupt between students and the government in South Africa over free higher education. Our correspondents went to find out whether cancelling student debt is a viable option. And we catch up with DR Congo music star Fabregas Le Métis Noir in the lead-up to the release of his first French-language album.

The UN's World Food Program says there is a deepening humanitarian crisis in the north of Mozambique as jihadist gunmen force locals to flee.

Has jihad incorporated really opened a branch in southern Africa? The Islamic State group may have claimed responsibility for the overrunning of a coastal town in northern Mozambique, but local grievances, poverty too long ignored and militants preying on a soft target seem to blame for the gruesome events that have come to a head in Cabo Delgado province. We ask about last week's attack and past efforts to repel insurgents by Mozambique special forces but also South African and Russian mercenaries.

South Africa has deployed troops in Mozambique following a jihadist attack on the northern town of Palma. This comes as French energy giant Total withdraws all staff from the region.

Mozambique's military says it is regaining territory in the northern town and gas hub of Palma, seized by Islamic State-linked jihadists last month, claiming a "significant" number of militants had since been killed in fighting.

Mozambican forces claim to have retaken the ransacked town of Palma from armed Islamist fighters. Despite this success, a glaring refugee crisis looms as regional bodies dither on providing military support.

Five presidents have conveyed for a crisis summit in Maputo to discuss how to combat rebels in Mozambique. The meeting comes just after 12 people were beheaded following an attack claimed by the "Islamic State."

French energy company Total has withdrawn workers from a $20 billion gas project in the southern African country after a nearby jihadi attack.

Since 2017, the insurgency raging in northern Mozambique has cost close to 3,000 lives and displaced more than 700,000 people. On March 23, 2021, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group attacked the town of Palma, prompting French energy group Total to shut down its operations in the region, despite having invested more than $20 billion dollars in a liquefied natural gas project there. As this mega-project is put on hold, and the company’s staff withdrawn – at least until stability is reestablished – the Mozambican government is largely refusing outside military assistance.