After suffering decades of under-investment, government negligence, and crushing poverty, the province of Cabo Delgado, the poorest in Mozambique, is now the site of a raging insurgency. Over 1,300 civilians have been killed; another 500,000 have been displaced, and towns and villages have been left in ruins. Fighting has intensified since an armed group locally known as Al-Shabaab attacked the northern port town of Mocímboa da Praia in October 2017. In a series of attacks, Al-Shabaab has killed civilians and burned their homes; the security forces of Mozambique have abused the very people they are meant to protect, and the Dyck Advisory Group, the private military company hired as a quick reaction force, has fired machine guns and dropped grenades indiscriminately from their helicopters.
The people of Cabo Delgado are caught between three forces, and the result is a massive humanitarian crisis.