Islamic State is using South African money to build its network

DEFEATING INSURGENCIESIS is hard and dangerous work. Most of all, according to a book on the subject by John Nagl, a retired American soldier, it requires patience. He likens it to eating soup with a knife. That makes the rapid successes achieved by a hotchpotch of African forces against jihadists affiliated to Islamic State () in northern Mozambique in the past year all the more remarkable.The violent jihadist insurgency that has engulfed the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado since 2017 had claimed perhaps 3,200 lives by the middle of 2021. Yet it attracted little outside attention until a year ago, when the militants swept into the coastal town of Palma, where they killed dozens of people, including several foreigners, and halted progress on a huge gas project. Soon after, Rwanda sent the first of about 2,000 troops. These were followed by about 1,000 more soldiers from eight other African countries, led by South Africa. In short order these forces have driven the insurgents out of most of the province’s populated areas.