Battle of Palma

Battle of Palma
Part of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado

A building destroyed during the battle
Date24 March – 5 April 2021
(1 week and 5 days)
Location
Palma, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
10°46′32″S 40°28′22″E / 10.77556°S 40.47278°E / -10.77556; 40.47278
Result
Belligerents
 Mozambique Islamic State (IS)[1]
Non-IS rebels[2]
Commanders and leaders
Chongo Vidigal (FADM)[6]
Agostinho Muthisse (FADM)[7]
Pedro da Silva Negro (FADM)[8]
Lionel Dyck (DAG)[9]		 Bonomade Machude Omar (alias "Ibn Omar")[10]
Abu Yasir Hassan[11]
Unidentified Mozambican, Tanzanian, and Somali commanders[2]
Units involved

Mozambican security forces

Private military companies

Control Risks (support role)[13][14]		 Ansar al-Sunna[15]
Islamic State's Central Africa Province (IS-CAP)[16][17]
"Unidentified group" independent of IS[2]
Strength
FADM:
Unknown soldiers, 40 DAG-trained policemen[18]
2 Mil Mi-24s, 1 Mil Mi-17[19]
DAG:
c. 30 personnel[20]
3 Aérospatiale Gazelles, 2 Eurocopter AS350 Écureuils, 1 Aérospatiale Alouette III[21]		 300+[22]
2 or 4 boats[18]
Casualties and losses
21+ killed (Pinnacle News)[23]
1 helicopter damaged or shot down		 Unknown
2 boats destroyed
1,190+ civilians killed[24] and 40,000 displaced[25]
1 cargo ship possibly hijacked
Battle of Palma is located in Mozambique
Battle of Palma
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Location of Palma
Battle of Palma is located in Africa
Battle of Palma
Battle of Palma (Africa)

The Battle of Palma[26] or the Battle for Palma[27] was fought during late March and early April 2021 over control of the city of Palma in Mozambique, between the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces, other Mozambican security forces and private military contractors on one side, and Islamist rebels reportedly associated with the Islamic State (IS) on another side. The Islamists invaded the city, killing dozens of people before Mozambique regained control days later. Palma was left destroyed, and a major oil and gas company decided to suspend all operations in the area due to the battle. Researchers have described the battle as an overall success for the insurgents.[18] The rebels also maintained their presence in the town's surroundings, and continued to raid Palma in the following weeks. The battle was part of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, which started in 2017 and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, mainly local civilians.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference reuters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Joseph Hanlon (17 April 2021). "Mozambique Palma attack: Why IS involvement is exaggerated". BBC. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Alex Crawford (5 April 2021). "Mozambique: Bodies in the street and hospital vandalised - Sky News first to see devastation left by extremists". Sky News. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ^ Haley Willis; Christiaan Triebert; Stella Cooper; Danielle Miller; Aaron Byrd; Christina Goldbaum (26 May 2021). "Militants Attacked a Key Town in Mozambique. Where Was the Government?". New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lister Cotovio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bangkok was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Darren Taylor; Simião Pongoane (28 March 2021). "Mozambique's Government Regains Control of Key Coastal Town". VOA. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. ^ Lister (2021), p. 21.
  9. ^ a b Christina Goldbaum; Eric Schmitt; Declan Walsh (28 March 2021). "As Militants Seize Mozambique Gas Hub, a Dash for Safety Turns Deadly". New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 2–8 August". Cabo Ligado (ACLED, Zitamar News, Mediafax). 10 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  11. ^ Allan Olingo (28 August 2021). "Tanzania: Security Agony for Dar, Nairobi As Terror Suspects Sneak Back Home". The East African. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  12. ^ Peter Beaumont (29 March 2021). "'Total chaos': survivors tell of insurgent attack in Mozambique". Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference mosse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Palma quase liberta...mas terroristas receberam reforços e há de novo combates nas imediações da vila". Carta de Moçambique. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  15. ^ Andrew Harding (13 March 2021). "Hungry, angry and fleeing the horrors of war in northern Mozambique". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  16. ^ Carien du Plessis (24 March 2021). "Fresh attacks in Mozambique as SA military company's contract comes to an end". news24. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference garda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ a b c "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 29 March-4 April" (PDF). Cabo Ligado (ACLED, Zitamar News, Mediafax). 6 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fabricius was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Feller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Andrew Harding; Philippe Chapleau (31 March 2021). "Mozambique: le fondateur de Dyck Advisory Group revient sur l'engagement de la SMP". Lignes de défense. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goldbaum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Several South Africans feared dead in attacks on Mozambique gas project, 27 March 2021
  24. ^ Zitamar News (22 June 2023). "Over 1,190 killed in 2021 Palma massacre, new survey finds". Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  25. ^ AP (20 April 2021). "40,000 displaced in north Mozambique after assault on Palma". Africa News. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  26. ^ Gersende Rambourg; Susan Njanji (30 March 2021). "Palma jihadist attack turning point in Mozambique crisis". yahoo news. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Cabo Ligado Weekly: 22–28 March" (PDF). Cabo Ligado (ACLED, Zitamar News, Mediafax). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.