The Islamic Council of Mozambique offers help in resolving a conflict between the government and the rebels, Mussa Suefe, spokesperson of the International Conference held by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), said during the the meeting called "Islam: Religion of Peace, Modernisation and Development", that was held in the capital Maputo.
"As long as we know the faces of the terrorists who operate in Cabo Delgado, the Islamic Council of Mozambique is willing to mediate... We can mediate and bring people to a dialogue to guarantee an effective peace," Suefe said.
The terrorist groups Ansar al-Sunna* and ISCAP (a branch of the Daesh*) have been operating in Cabo Delgado since 2017, trying to take control of this oil-rich area.
In July 2021, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique was sent to the province to suppress the conflict. Over the next three years, SADC forces inflicted a series of significant defeats on the terrorist groups, pushing them out of the coastal areas and into the interior of the country.
Overall, the conflict has killed at least 5,760 people and displaced almost 710,000 since 2017.
*Daesh, also known as ISIL/ISIS/IS, is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.