Tanzania and Mozambique have agreed to join forces to fight ‘extremist violence’  reportedly responsible for hundreds of deaths in the two countries.

Africa News reports that the neighboring countries respective police chiefs met at the weekend in the town of Mtwara, in Tanzania. They signed a memorandum of understanding to crack down on the chaos. According to Africa News, fighters in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province have intensified a campaign in recent months that has now spilled over the border, into Tanzania.

The agreement follows suspected Mozambican so called ‘jihadists’ last month having staged a cross-border raid in Tanzania, in which a number of people were allegedly killed. Mozambique’s Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho last week said at least half a million people had fled their homes because of the violence.

More than 500 suspected fighters had been arrested in Tanzania and are to be extradited to Mozambique. Since 2017, a so called ‘Islamist’ group is being blamed for the unrest being experienced in Mozambique. Africa News reports that their attacks have allegedly been claimed by an ISIS affiliate, the supposed ‘Islamic State Central Africa Province’.

Umm Muhammed Umar