Successes against occupying forces on the ground in northern Mozambique need to be supported by a greater emphasis on securing the country’s 2 500-kilometre coastline, according to Francois Vreÿ, research coordinator, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, Stellenbosch University.In an article published in The Conversation, Vreÿ writes, “the fixation on landward efforts ignores the fact that the insurgency also poses a maritime threat.“The combined military response against the insurgents is primarily on land, with very limited maritime response capabilities.“But the insurgent threat is not limited to the interior. Insurgents stormed and held the port of Mocimboa da Praia in August 2020 and attacked communities on nearby islands off Palma, halting its tourism f lows.“Mozambique’s future economy relies heavily on maintaining a safe offshore domain. To this end the government must make use of every opportunity to build the required capacity and partnerships to maintain the rule of law at sea.”Vreÿ argues that security on shore is interrelated with maritime security.“This is the reality in the waters off Somalia, Nigeria, Libya and Yemen. Weak security governance on land affects the maritime economy, with shipping and resource extraction particularly vulnerable.“This land and sea interplay is a potential risk facing Mozambique’s decision-makers.”Perceptions of dangers in the waters off Mozambique, similar to those off Somalia and Nigeria, will have multiple knock-on effects, he warns.“Higher insurance costs are incurred; shipping must follow longer routes, increasing the cost of doing business; private security personnel are often taken on; and the safety and livelihoods of crews are at higher risk.“All this is evident in the demarcated danger zone now operational off Nigeria.”Land-based criminals and insurgents can attack vessels at sea using drones.“The recent drone attack on a commercial vessel passing through the Gulf of Oman, with Yemen and Iranian connections, must also serve as a warning. There have been allegations of the presence of drones in Cabo Delgado.”Another major risk is that insufficiently policed waters offer the potential for criminal syndicates and insurgents to prosper side by side.Transnational criminal syndicates already operate into Cabo Delgado, he says.“Insecurity at sea off Cabo Delgado carries the risk of compounding the problem posed by drug smuggling networks operating in the area. No effort should be spared to prevent the insurgents and the smugglers cooperating.”South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania need to continue with their joint efforts to prevent piracy from gaining a foothold in Mozambique.“Cooperation with a wide array of partners to promote maritime security governance over the longer term must remain a priority.”The South African Navy and UN Office on Drugs and Crime are the first naval and capacity-building respondents to arrive.“But the SADC should seriously consider using its Standing Maritime Committee to assist Mozambique. The aim would be to bring about a formal regional arrangement for cooperation to secure regional economic and security interests in the southwestern Indian Ocean over the longer term.“Mozambique is in no position to contribute significantly to the broader array of maritime security endeavours. That’s why international partners need to play a role.“The SADC must now pass the acid test of stemming the insurgent threats from spilling over and threatening the region’s wider landward and maritime interests.“The intervention forces currently fighting the insurgents should extend their role offshore to prevent a collapse of security at sea off Mozambique – or at the minimum, any such perception among the international maritime community,” he writes Weak security governance on land affects the maritime economy, with shipping and resource extraction particularly vulnerable.– Francois Vreÿ
