[imagesource: Sky News]

It still seems somewhat surreal that one of our neighbouring countries is under siege from Allu Sunna wa Jama, or al-Shabaab, or ISIS-Mozambique, who have beheaded and executed innocent civilians in a brutal display of strength.

The town of Palma, which was hit in late March, appears to be now under the control of the Mozambican military once more, but there are fears that another attack, or wave of attacks, may be imminent.

The number of casualties remains a figure of speculation, but we do know that one South African, Adrian Nel, is confirmed dead.

To understand how these insurgents have grown to be such a force, some background is needed, and this past Sunday Carte Blanche was on the case:

Last year, we reported on the largely under-reported skirmishes since 2017 in Cabo Delgado province between the Islamist group Ansar al-Sunna, security forces and civilians.

Now, the US State Department has dubbed the group ISIS-Mozambique, blacklisting its leader Abu Yasir Hassan. The violence and humanitarian crisis have escalated and over 535,000 people have been displaced from their homes and the United Nations forecasts that tens of thousands more might be affected.

Carte Blanche speaks to some of the South African survivors.

Adrian’s brother, Wesley, has already spoken about their final moments together, as their convoy of vehicles came under fire and Adrian slipped from consciousness.

Wesley was interviewed by Derek Watts, and he knows that despite the incredible ordeal he’s been through, he was one of the lucky ones who made it out alive.

Many, many others, including a number of expats hiding at the same hotel where Wesley escaped from, were not so fortunate.

Here’s the segment from this past Sunday:

[source:carteblanche]