South Africa is deploying 1,495 troops to Mozambique to join the standby force of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) assisting the Mozambican government in the fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.Botswana was one of the first countries of the 16-nation organization to dispatch soldiers to help fight the insurgency. More troops are expected from other SADC member countries, including Tanzania and Angola, according Mozambique’s defence ministry.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has warned of a growing hunger crisis, saying nearly 1 million people need food aid as a result of the conflict. The insurgency started in 2017 and has grown rapidly in the past year. The militants have held the port of Mocimboa da Praia for nearly a year and have repeatedly attacked the strategic centre of Palma, forcing the French energy firm Total to suspend its U.S.$20 billion liquified natural gas project there.