Battle of Mucojo

On 22 April 2021, militants took and occupied the town of Mucojo and Pangane with the Mozambican military retaking the towns.^[6] The village had been sieged by Mozambican and Rwandan troops since May 2021^[2]

On 28 August, militants of an unknown group raided and re-occupied the town of Mucojo. Reports came that the town and a nearby village were captured, with the Mozambique military confirming the claim. The militants were identified as anti-Islamic as they beheaded an Islamic imam.^[7] The militants continued to kill civilians and behead fisherman.^[5] Members of ISIL and Al-Shabaab, attacked Mucojo and killed most of the anti-Islamic militants in Mucojo and the nearby town of Quiterajo.^[8] The town's mayor was later killed by the Islamist militants with him being beheaded.^[5] The Mozambique army later retook the village, but it was recaptured by the Islamist militants when Al-Shabaab members retreated from Tanzania to Mucojo.^[9] Militants later burned the village down, with 164 houses destroyed.^[10]

On 9 September, militants raided and occupied Oluma, a village near Mucojo. The island of Vamize was also occupied by militants, off the shore of Mucojo.^[11]

On 30 September and throughout 8 October, militants had fully occupied all of the villages nearby Mucojo.^[12] On 26 October, militants in Mucojo started an offensive into southern Tanzania.^[13] On 29 October, Mozambican and Rwandan forces captured all of Mucojo, ending the occupation.^[1]

By 2022, unrest continued in Mucojo, with incidents of looting being reported.^[14]