Insurgents believed to be linked with the Islamic State struck a northern Mozambique port town on September 22, killing and beheading civilians in an assault that highlighted gas-producing region Cabo Delgado’s persistent security crisis, AFP reported.

The area, home to multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, has repeatedly been targeted by militants. Local officials said the assailants struck before dawn, exploiting gaps in the security presence.

The port town’s role in regional trade and its proximity to offshore gas installations make it a strategic prize for insurgent groups. Human rights organisations described the killings as potential war crimes and warned that violence against civilians is again escalating.

The attack deepens concern about Mozambique’s $20bn LNG sector, anchored by TotalEnergies’ project in Cabo Delgado. Operations have been suspended under force majeure since 2021 following earlier assaults in Palma. “Every new wave of violence adds to the uncertainty for investors and communities alike,” Maputo-based analyst Borges Nhamirre told Carta de Moçambique.

Cabo Delgado hosts some of the world’s largest offshore gas discoveries in the Rovuma Basin. Apart from TotalEnergies’ LNG project (Area 1, 13mn tpy), ENI’s Coral South FLNG (Area 4, 3.4mn tpy) began exports in 2022. ExxonMobil’s Rovuma LNG (Area 4, 15.2mn tpy) remains on hold, with FID delayed indefinitely due to security and financing risks.

The broader conflict has displaced at least 582,000 people in Cabo Delgado, according to UNHCR, with children making up nearly 60% of the recently uprooted. In July 2025 alone, around 46,000 people fled their homes during a week of renewed clashes, the Associated Press reported. Aid groups say humanitarian corridors remain fragile, complicating relief operations.

Mozambican security forces said reinforcements have been dispatched to stabilise the affected districts. A defence ministry spokesperson told Club of Mozambique that the government “remains committed to restoring order” and is working with Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops to protect civilians and critical infrastructure.

Analysts at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS Africa) noted that the insurgency is adapting with more mobile, small-scale attacks after years of pressure from Mozambican, Rwandan and regional forces. “The capacity of militants to strike port towns signals that the threat is far from neutralised,” said ISS researcher Borges Chefe.