Battle of Palma
The Battle of Palma or the Battle for Palma was fought during late March and early April 2021 over control of the city of Palma in Mozambique, between the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces, other Mozambican security forces and private military contractors on one side, and Islamist rebels reportedly associated with the Islamic State on another side. The Islamists invaded the city, killing dozens of people before Mozambique regained control days later. Palma was left destroyed, and a major oil and gas company decided to suspend all operations in the area due to the battle. Researchers have described the battle as an overall success for the insurgents. The rebels also maintained their presence in the town's surroundings, and continued to raid Palma in the following weeks. The battle was part of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, which started in 2017 and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, mainly local civilians.
Background
The insurgency in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, began in 2017 and intensified in 2020. Islamist rebels carried out massacres in April and November. From 5–11 August, rebels reportedly associated with the Islamic State captured the city of Mocímboa da Praia during an offensive. The Islamic State's Central Africa Province declared Mocímboa da Praia its capital, and held it into 2021. In response to the escalating rebellion, the Mozambican government hired several private military companies, most importantly the South African Dyck Advisory Group. In addition, local authorities and companies operating in Cabo Delgado also employed security contractors. French energy giant Total SE which maintained a site at the Afungi peninsula near Palma, had hired at least five security companies, namely Arkhe, GardaWorld, Blue Mountain, Control Risks and G4S. Total SE maintained that its security contractors were generally unarmed. The Total SE site had been described as a project which could completely change the local economy, as it would provide a massive revenue to the Mozambican government. However, the project was controversial, as many locals had been displaced to make room for it. The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces set up several fortified posts to protect the site at the Afungi peninsula.By early March 2021, the rebels had begun to besiege the town of Palma. The rebels beheaded civilians from nearby villages, as well as people who were trying to flee the town. On 7 March, the rebels took the border post at Nonje at the border with Tanzania on the Ruvuma River, isolating Palma from the rest of Mozambique. The civilians who remained in Palma faced starvation. ACLED analyst Jasmine Opperman argued that an assault on Palma was expected, and that security experts had warned foreign embassies and the Mozambican government that the militants were planning an attack, only to be ignored. Opperman later tweeted "Why in God's name was no action taken in response to early warning intelligence. It's a disgrace".
The exact identity of the insurgents at Palma is unclear. One rebel identified himself as member of "al-Shabab", a local name for the group Ansar al-Sunna. Other reports claimed that the attackers were identified as belonging to IS-CAP. The relation between Ansar al-Sunna, known by a variety of names, and IS-CAP is generally unclear. Experts suspect that parts or all of Ansar al-Sunna have joined IS-CAP, but that IS central command exerts almost no control over its Mozambican affiliates. IS has taken responsibility for a relatively small number of attacks in Mozambique, compared to the overall insurgency, but has claimed its involvement in the most significant rebel operations. Following the battle, refugees stated that some of the rebel commanders were Tanzanians and Somalis. The Tanzanians declared loyalty to IS, whereas the Somalis firmly denied being part IS, instead belonging to an "unidentified group". Security sources stated that the rebels at Palma were generally well-organized and wearing uniforms. Several rebel fighters were reportedly child soldiers which would mark the first time that children were used as fighters during the insurgency.
IS and its affiliate IS-CAP later claimed responsibility for the attack on Palma via Amaq News Agency. However, the footage released by the Amaq News Agency which allegedly showcased the battle was judged by experts to have been taken weeks before the operation. Jamestown Foundation analyst Jacob Zenn argued that this hinted at some kind of communications breakdown between the Mozambican rebels and IS central command, possibly due to the death of "key media leaders on either side". Accordingly, IS had little access to images or videos from Mozambique, but still wanted to provide some proof for the involvement of its forces in the battle of Palma.
Battle
Initial attack and Amarula Hotel ambush
Prior to the battle, several Islamist rebels, disguised as civilians, soldiers, and policemen infiltrated Palma, hiding weaponry and preparing for the assault. One eyewitness specified that insurgents had worn uniforms of the Rapid Intervention Unit, the Mozambican police's special operations wing. Following the battle, people from Palma voiced suspicions that locals had been involved in the rebel operation. The assault occurred as Total SE resumed work at the site. It appeared the attack was planned in advance.On 24 March, more than 100 militants, split into two groups, launched their attack on Palma from three directions and carried out coordinated terrorist attacks at different sites. They initially targeted police stations and checkpoints, then used explosives to break into the two banks, which they robbed. They ransacked the business park, government offices, and the local military base. The rebels also systematically targeted food storages and food trucks in and around the city, capturing the contents. Residential neighbourhoods were attacked too, resulting in the death of several local civilians. People were also shot in the streets, with some of the victims then beheaded. The rebels encountered little resistance from security forces most of whom quickly retreated. A few troops attempted to organize a defense, but were overrun. The rebels quickly secured the coast as well as the main roads into the town, including a crucial crossroads, and the airfield where they shot at an incoming plane, forcing it to break off the landing.
A gas project was targeted, killing both locals and foreign workers. Several local officials, including the Palma district administrator, and others escaped from the scene and took refuge at the Amarula Hotel. The militants attacked the hotel too, killing some people at the entrance. Overall, about 220 people found refuge at Amarula Hotel, of whom 100 were locals. About 20 civilians holed up at the Bonatti Hotel. As soon as the rebels had assumed some control over Palma, more than 100 militants reinforced the city, blocked off streets inside the city and captured villages around Palma. According to some reports, two rebel boats targeted the cargo ship Alfajimbo off Palma at the same time as the land-based rebels began their assault. The insurgents reportedly successfully hijacked the Alfajimbo, though no further information surfaced on the ship's fate.
To assist the city's defenses, the FADM reportedly sent three helicopters, namely two Mil Mi-24, piloted by Ukrainian mercenaries affiliated with the Paramount Group, and one Mil Mi-17. These aircraft were supposed to aid the trapped civilians. However, the Mozambique Air Force withdrew under unclear circumstances. According to "some security sources", all FADM helicopters withdrew after one was damaged by small arms fire. Other security sources claimed that the Mil Mi-17 was shot down by a Mil Mi-24 after insurgents had hijacked the former. The Dyck Advisory Group also arrived with six light helicopters - 3 Aérospatiale Gazelle, 2 Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil and one Aérospatiale Alouette III - to attack insurgents and assist the civilians. DAG stated that they intervened without direct orders by officials. However, the DAG aircraft had to withdraw after they ran out of fuel on late 25 March or early 26 March. According to DAG director Lionel Dyck, the Paramount Group-affiliated helicopters returned once to Palma on 25 March, but withdrew again after mistakenly firing on Mozambican soldiers.
Meanwhile, the South African mercenaries told those at the Amarula Hotel that they could only try to help them again on the next day, and that they should stay put, as the rebels were possibly lying in wait to ambush anyone fleeing. A nearby Mozambican army unit of 700 to 1,100 soldiers failed to assist those besieged in Palma, not wanting to weaken its own fortified position on the Afungi peninsula, while Total SE reportedly refused to refuel the DAG's helicopters so that they could not directly return to Palma. In the morning of 26 March, DAG helicopters rescued some of those hiding at Amarula Hotel. Without official instructions by the government, the hotel manager and the DAG mercenaries decided who would be evacuated. About 20 people were rescued, including the officials and the Palma district administrator. Later that day, those remaining at the Amarula Hotel decided to attempt a breakout, as no further assistance by government forces seemed to reach them. The rebels were attacking the hotel with mortars by then. Shortly before the breakout was attempted, the hotel owner organized a last airborne evacuation using a helicopter belonging to the Everett Aviation company. The helicopter rescued some of the hotel staff, and the hotel owner's two dogs. This rescue received air cover by DAG aircraft.
A group of 20 did not join the Amarula Hotel breakout attempt, and opted to stay behind. Assisted by some security forces, about 180 hotel survivors fled with a convoy of 17 vehicles to nearby quarry. However, only seven vehicles successfully escaped from the scene, while the ten other vehicles were attacked, with their occupants murdered, and others wounded and captured. More than 40 people were killed during the convoy's breakout attempt. According to Pinnacle News, at least 21 Mozambican soldiers were killed during the operation.
Those who successfully broke through the rebel lines reached the beach. There, the South African DAG helicopters were able to evacuate them on 27 March. The mercenaries also saved the group who had stayed behind at Amarula Hotel. Some people managed to flee from Palma in boats. Six DAG helicopters continued to move around the city, trying to locate and rescue survivors. Meanwhile, the rebels had begun to loot and ravage the town, torching many buildings including the hotels as well as a clinic and destroying about two-thirds of the infrastructure. Later in the day, security sources claimed militants had seized control of the town although fighting was still taking place around Palma. The insurgents, numbering more than 300 by then, had also cut off four more hotels in Palma where foreign workers still held out.