ISIS attack hits close to home

For most of the world, the late March attack on the coastal town of Palma may have been just another terror attack in the faraway province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. But for one family, it was very personal.

“The entire international community is to blame. The cousin of my very close family member was killed yesterday by ISIS [Islamic State]. Why? Because he went to build houses there as he lost his job due to COVID-19. No one came to help. Why am I posting here? Because no one even knows,” wrote Michal Gaziel on the “South Africans Living in Israel” Facebook group.

Gaziel was writing on 27 March 2021, as possibly the deadliest attack in the region unfolded. The assault started on 24 March 2021, with local militants linked to ISIS storming the area. “The attack is one of the most brutal since the insurgency began in 2017. At least a hundred fighters attacked Palma, showing the jihadis getting stronger and more brazen,” says Steven Gruzd, political analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

Gaziel’s sister-in-law, Rachel Gaziel, is the cousin of the South African who was killed, Adrian Nel. Speaking to the SA Jewish Report from Tel Aviv, she (Rachel) described a “traumatic” few days as her family waited to hear about the safety of Nel, his stepfather, and his brother. “They were abandoned by the military. Two hundred people were left to die,” she says.

Nel took a job in Palma, Mozambique, to build workers’ accommodation for the Total LNG Project. Local militants who have pledge allegiance to ISIS have staged a number of attacks including capturing the town of Mocimboa da Praia, which still remains out of government hands. The violence has killed more than 2 600 people, half of them civilians. It has also forced almost 700 000 people from their homes.

From what Gaziel has heard, her cousin and others decided they had to escape. They had been hiding in the Amarula Hotel, but decided to make a break for it at nightfall, as “there was no one there to protect them”. They went in a convoy of 17 cars, and Adrian was in the first car, leading the convoy. They aimed to get to the beach. But as soon as they left the hotel, they were attacked. He was shot by terrorists.

“My cousin didn’t die quickly. He bled out. His stepfather and brother hid in the bush with his body. The place was overrun with terrorists – a lot of people were killed or captured. Many are unaccounted for,” Gaziel says.

She says military company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) was in contact with her aunt, and informed her that her son had been killed, but that her husband and son had escaped. “I think they got to the beach and then were rescued by helicopter or boat. My aunt is distraught, but she thought they would all be dead. She’s grateful, but devastated.”

Gaziel says her cousin would have been 41 on 1 April. He leaves behind a wife and three young children. “His wife is distraught. How can she tell them their father is dead? He died trying to save people. We want others to know his story, and to pressurise the international community to do something. No one seems to care because it’s in Africa. We don’t want him to have died in vain.”

The Southern African Development Community said it would hold a two-day summit in Maputo on 8 and 9 April to deliberate how to address terrorism in Mozambique. President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend, accompanied by international relations and cooperation minister Naledi Pandor, defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and state security minister Ayanda Dlodlo. Meanwhile, DAG’s contract with the Mozambican police expired on Tuesday, 6 April.

“Any country that directly or indirectly fights against ISIS is immediately seen as the enemy, and thus a legitimate target,” says Jevon Greenblatt of the Community Security Organisation. It makes no difference whether it’s the South African military or a private military group such as DAG. They see it as South Africa fighting against Islam and a justification for ‘self-defence’.

“This was made clear by ISIS’ warning in 2020 that South Africa shouldn’t get involved or it would open up a “fighting front” in our country. When it talks about a “fighting front”, at this stage, it doesn’t necessarily mean an insurgency like that taking place in Cabo Delgado, but will more likely be acts of terrorism similar to what we have seen in the United States and Europe.

“There are a number of cells and individuals, whether they be active adherents or loosely connected supporters, already present in South Africa, and we have already seen some of them commit acts of terror or crime in the name of ISIS,” says Greenblatt.

“In addition, there are a number of South Africans who have travelled to Mozambique over the past few years to join the insurgents, at least one of whom was involved in the 2016 Thulsie plot to attack Jewish targets. ISIS encourages adherents and supporters to attack Jews around the world, and as such, if they do decide to open a ‘fighting front’ in South Africa, it’s not inconceivable that the Jewish community could be selected as one of those targets.”

Should we be concerned for our safety? “Menachem Begin [former prime minister of Israel] said, ‘If an enemy of our people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him. Don’t doubt him for a moment. Don’t make light of it. Do all in your power to deny him the means of carrying out his satanic intent’,” says Greenblatt.

“There is no doubt that we should be aware of what’s happening in Mozambique, monitor it closely, and continue to put measures in place to ensure the effective safety and security of the South African Jewish community. We cannot assume that because this is happening far away, it won’t affect us.”

Greenblatt believes that “the original grievances that drove the insurgency are being hijacked by ISIS’ aspiration for global expansion, and due to its loss of a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, it’s now looking to establish this elsewhere. Africa has been touted as the new battlefield for terror organisations, with central and southern Africa emerging as their most viable option to establish an Islamic state. I believe it to be true that the new international status of this insurgency will embolden it to expand into other regions, with Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado being just the beginning.”

Says Gruzd, “This is right on South Africa’s doorstep, and it has to be taken seriously. We may start to see people fleeing to South Africa, and such instability is bad for the region. The violence is getting closer to offshore gas fields in Cabo Delgado, and is already affecting the operations of major players such as Total, which has suspended work again.” He says extreme violence, such as beheadings, continues to occur in the area.

Asked if the attack is a major event, Gruzd says, “It’s hard to tell if this is a turning point in real time. It certainly was a daring attack, and shows the rebels getting stronger and better armed. It also coincides with military training initiatives by Portugal and the United States. Only hindsight will tell if this is a turning point. What’s for sure is that the problem won’t just quietly go away.”

Terror expert Jasmine Opperman of ACLED (the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) told the SA Jewish Report that this attack was expected by those watching the rising insurgency, but “what surprised most analysts was the sophistication and refinement of the guerrilla warfare, and how they executed the attack. And yet, no action was taken to prevent it.

“Why is it relevant to South Africa? The region is becoming destabilised with a human catastrophe that we haven’t seen before. It’s a calamity of which we will never know the actual extent,” Opperman says. Meanwhile, “for ISIS to propagate a leadership position is quite easy, and that message will transcend borders. It will reach ISIS-sympathisers, and we don’t know how they will respond.

“The insurgency is still in control, the government remains defensive,” she says. “It’s an insurgency that is evolving and growing, and yet, the counter-punch seems not to be forthcoming. That leaves the region vulnerable.”