Ansar Al-Sunna Mozambique: Is It the Boko Haram of Southern Africa?

Mozambique has witnessed a sharp rise in militant Islamic jihadism starting in late 2017. This originates from a small sect movement of Islamic fundamentalist radicals, Ansar al-Sunna, formed in 2012. Its emergence appears to be local social discontentment due to poverty and economic deprivation. Government reaction has been heavy-handed, anticipating to thwart the group. This paper seeks to draw an analytical comparison of academic researchers,’ journalists’ and other witness accounts of this group in Mozambique to literature-based knowledge of the Nigerian Boko Haram, and gauge its potential of growing into the Boko Haram of Southern Africa.