Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Conflict: International Humanitarian Law and Regional Security

This book uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine the ongoing conflict in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, which has killed thousands and displaced a million people since 2017.

The book investigates how the conflict developed, the regional and international responses and its wider implications. From a broad range of African perspectives, the book addresses issues related to the conflict including international humanitarian law, regional security and terrorism. Part I assesses the regional security concerns of the conflict, the success of cross-border counter-terrorism operations and their implications for the southern African region. Part II focuses on the conflict in relation to international humanitarian law. It discusses the Islamic State’s presence in the region, the trajectory and issues pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence and the relationship between the conflict and the environment. Finally, Part III examines regional and continental responses to the conflict, from the military intervention by the Southern African Development Community and Rwanda, to the perceived inaction of the African Union.

The first comprehensive analysis of the conflict in Cabo Delgado, this book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of international humanitarian law, security, African politics, war and conflict studies, terrorism and human rights.

Marko Svicevic is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law at Palacký University, Czech Republic and a Post-doctoral Research Fellow with the South African Research Chair in International Law at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Martha M. Bradley is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Law at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and an external expert at the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law at Palacký University, Czech Republic.