Mercenaries in Mozambique-Dyck Advisory Group-An Open Source Intelligence Analysis 

Intelligence Research Observatory

Mercenaries in Mozambique-Dyck Advisory Group-An Open Source Intelligence Analysis 

Methodology-OSINT research

Research Analysis-S.A. Cavanagh 

“Mozambique is one of the toughest environments in the world”

Al Venter, renowned mercenary expert

Photo thought to be al-Shabab in Mozambique (Formerly Ahlu Sunnah wa-l-Jama’ah)

Photo Courtesy of Foreign Brief Geopolitical Risk Analysis-AFP (2020)

Background and Analysis

Mozambique is a resource rich country located in southeast Africa. With a GDP of $16.39 billion, Mozambique’s’ primary natural Resources are coal, natural gas, titanium, and iron ore. Politically unstable, Mozambique is home to International Drug Traffickers that service South Africa, Western Europe, the United Sates and many other destinations.  Drugs come in to Mozambique from Afghanistan & Pakistan to go to distribution hubs in Cabo Delgado and the Mocimboa da Praia.  Other illicit trades flourish in Mozambique. Illegally harvested minerals, timber poaching, and illicit smuggling of wildlife parts provides a diversified underground economy for the nation.  Mozambique sits over vast oil and gas reserves, which imparts strong motivations for insurgents, to take control of Mozambique’s economy by force.

Cabo Delgado town and the fishing harbour of Mocímboa da Praia area have well connected roads that secure a steady revenue stream from the taxation of illicit trade. Access to these resources has enhanced al-Shabab recruitment capability, allowing them to offer relatively high salaries to disenfranchised locals. Increased revenues have allowed the insurgents to attract defectors from the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique: FADM), resulting in intelligence leaks from the FADM as well as greater access to arms and ammunition, while also contributing to lower morale among FADM troops.

There is a disagreement in the intelligence community; is the insurgency one of religious ideals?  Ahlu Sunnah wa-l-Jama’ah is the original name of the insurgency group in Mozambique, but is known locally as al-Shabab.  Mozambique al-Shabab has no affiliation to the Somalia-based al-Qaeda group.  De Faakto research indicates that the insurgency originated as an Islamist sect in 2007.  Later the sect clashed with local communities and mainstream Islamic organizations due to its peculiar traditions, which included opposed formal educational institutions, praying in the mosque wearing shoes (considered a prophetic tradition by some) and praying only three times per day. In early years, the sect generally isolated itself from the surrounding society, but in late 2015 it turned more outward looking. The group built its own mosques and religious schools, and started engaging in dawa (proselytizing) activities and offering education to the local population, including women. The group became more popular among local youth, resulting in clashes over Islamic traditions.

In October 2017, 30 members of the group were arrested for their opposing religious views.  Armed group members retaliated by targeting Mocimboa prison and three police stations, rescuing the group of 30 detainees.  This consolidated an armed insurgency against the state of Mozambique.  Repeated mass arrests of Ahlu Sunnah wa-l-Jama’ah members led to further radicalization among some of the area’s youth. In 2017, ASWJ increased its reliance on violence mainly through guerrilla attacks targeting smaller villages at night and killing local Sufi sheikhs. Later in 2018, ASWJ expanded activities to attacks on isolated villages. By 2019, the scope of violent attacks saw a sharp rise in numbers and a geographic expansion, with Macomia, Mocimboa da Praia and Palma being the most affected, at this point, the group was strong enough to launch attacks along a better secured and more populous coast.

Dyck Advisory group, led by Retired Colonel Lionel Dyck was engaged by the government of Mozambique in 2013 to run anti-poaching operations in the bush.  Dyck the owner of Mine Tech International had a wealth of experience from military operations in the Rhodesian Security Forces and Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Dyck fought in the Mozambican civil war as part of the Zimbabwean intervention force.  PMC CHVK Wagner Group from Russia was briefly contracted by the government of Mozambique in 2019 to assist national troops confront the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgados’natural gas fields.  Wagner mercenaries had little expertise fighting primitive bush wars in Africa, and brought soviet era advise and assist tactics, a methodology which had failed Soviet military advisors in Africa during the cold war.  Wagner was unable to work cooperatively with local military units because of tensions.  Wagner Mozambique after it lost 5 Russian contractors in an ambush that also killed 20 Mozambique soldiers.

With Wagner withdrawing from Mozambique, Dyck Advisory became active in Cabo Delgado, in 2019, under contract with Bernardino Rafael; a Mozambiquan police chief.  Dyck trained local police and fought a local Islamist insurgency.  DAG deployed multiple rotary wing and light fixed wing airframes during operations in Cabo Delgado.  Reports of DAG aircraft consist of Aerospatiale Gazelles, Aerospatiale Allouette III, Eurocopter AS350 Écureuils and Bat Hawk light Aircraft.  The air support provided by DAG prevented the Islamic insurgency from moving into key strategic cities such as Pemba; concurrently DAG worked alongside government forces to retake the town of Macomia from the insurgents.

In its report, titled ‘What I Saw Is Death’: War Crimes in Mozambique’s Forgotten Cape’, Amnesty International claimed war crimes were committed by Insurgents, government forces and Dyck Advisory Group.  Reuter’s news outlet was unable to verify the materials described in the Amnesty International report.  Amnesty international accused DAG of indiscriminate attacks against civilians while pursuing insurgents hiding in crowds and a hospital.  Dyck disagrees with Amnesty, and claims his company was under effective fire from insurgents using civilians as human shields.  Dyck has responsibly engaged an independent law firm to investigate allegations which were already cleared by senior Mozambique officials.  Government armed forces are accused by Amnesty of extrajudicial killings, while Islamist radicals are accused of beheadings, abducting women and girls, routinely killing civilians, looting homes and burning them down.

Aerospatiale Gazelle-Believed to be part of DAG Air Force

Photo Courtesy of Defense WEB-VIA Reuters (2021)

Photos of Dyke Advisory Group Helicopters rescuing people that escaped Islamist Insurgents in Palma

Photos Courtesy of SkyNews (2021)

Analysis

Dyck Advisory Group Continues Counter Insurgency-Allies with Paramount Group and Burnham Global

While under some scrutiny, Dyck Advisory Group has proved effective overall; stopping the insurgency expansion into Pemba, while helping government forces retake the town of Mocamia.  Mozambique government officials extended the DAG contract and have outsourced technological logistics, training and advisory services to a new hybrid-private-military-corporate entity, by adding Paramount Group and Burnham Global to the mix.  This combination of private military corporations may be the most interesting private military operation seen yet in Africa.  Intelligence analysts and military companies will be watching this consortium closely to see how they conduct mercenary operations without supplying the infantry resources needed for bush fighting.  De Faakto analysis forecasts that DAG forces, supplied with trained indigenous infantry, advised by Burnham Global British special forces mentors, and supplied with Paramount armoured vehicles, naval support, aircraft, and UAVs; may prove to be the most effective PMC COIN operation since Executive Outcomes was outsourced in Angola and Sierra Leone. This private military model may even resemble facets of what Bancroft Global PMC uses in Somalia. Like the conglomerate forming around DAG, Paramount Group & Burnham Global; Executive Outcomes success was found in the hardware of T-72 tanks, BMP fighting vehicles, Hind MI-24 attack helicopters and Hip MI-8 transport helicopters.  Ibis Air, business partner of Executive Outcomes; operated a de facto air force, fitted out with corporate aircraft, SU-25 Frogfoot airframes, MIG-23 & 27 Floggers, and Pilatus PC-7 turboprop reconnaissance aircraft with ground attack capability.

Hip MI-8 Transport used by Executive Outcomes

Hind MI-24 Attack Helicopter used by Executive Outcomes

SU-25 Frogfoot Close Air Support used by Executive Outcomes

MiG-27 Flogger Fighter used by Executive Outcomes

MiG-23 Flogger Fighter used by Executive Outcomes

Pilatus PC-7 Ground Attack Aircraft used by Executive Outcomes

Executive Outcomes in Angola & Sierra Leone

Photo Courtesy of Tela Non (2015)

T-72 Main Battle Tank used by Executive Outcomes

Photo Courtesy of Tass Russian News Agency (2019)

BMP Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle used by Executive Outcomes

Photo Courtesy of U.S. National Archives (2021)

The Insurgency in Mozambique-How it Started

Photo Courtesy of Agenzia Fides (2020)

• Islamist insurgents staged their first successful attack in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province in October 2017
• An offensive by government forces against cells in Tanzania in May of 2017 forced some fighters to migrate south into Mozambique or the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Their first operation was a raid on a police barracks in the Mocímboa da Praia district of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique
• More than half a million people have been displaced and hundreds killed in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region since Islamist militants launched an insurgency in 2017 (Jane’s IHS Markit, 2021)

Photo Courtesy of International Business Times (2020)

The following timeline is adopted from the Article The Islamic State in Mozambique, Authored by Dr.Tore Hamming of Lawfare 

Key Points

• Ahlu Sunnah wa-l-Jama’ah is the original name of the insurgency in Mozambique
• The group is now known as al-Shabab
• There is no relation to Somalia-based al-Qaeda-affiliate
• Ahlu Sunnah wa-l-Jama’ah, known locally as al-Shabab is now referred to internationally as the Islamic State in Mozambique
• There remains uncertainty about the exact origin of the group, but historian Eric Morier-Genoud argues that it originated as an Islamist sect in 2007 (Lawfare, 2021)
• Over the following years, the sect and its followers clashed with local communities and mainstream Islamic organizations due to its peculiar traditions, which included opposing formal educational institutions, praying in the mosque wearing shoes (considered a prophetic tradition by some) and praying only three times per day
• During its early years, the sect generally isolated itself from the surrounding society, but starting in late 2015 it turned more outward looking
• The group built its own mosques and religious schools, and started engaging in dawa (proselytizing) activities and offering education to the local population, including to women
• Through these initiatives the group slowly became more popular among local youth, but this resulted in clashes with local Muslim communities over Islamic traditions
• October 2017, community leaders in Mocimboa da Praia issued a complaint to the local authorities, who arrested approximately 30 members of the group
• Days later on Oct. 5, the remaining group members retaliated with a rescue mission targeting Mocimboa prison and three police stations
• This was a catalyst for the launch of the armed insurgency against the state
• A state crackdown involving mass arrests led to further radicalization among some of the area’s youth
• In the remainder of 2017, ASWJ increased its reliance on violence mainly through guerrilla attacks targeting smaller villages at night and killing local Sufi sheikhs.
• In 2018, ASWJ expanded activities to daytime attacks on isolated villages
• In 2019, the scope of violent attacks saw a sharp rise in numbers and a geographic expansion, with Macomia, Mocimboa da Praia and Palma being the most affected
• At this point, the group felt confident enough to launch attacks along the better secured and more populous coast (Lawfare, 2021)

Private Military Company, Wagner Group Fails in Mozambique

Photo thought to be Wagner Group in Mozambique-Unconfirmed may be Wagner operating in Syria

Photo Courtesy of  African Quarters (2019)

• In early September 2019, according to various Portuguese sources a group of 200 Russian mercenaries landed at Mozambique’s Nacala Airport, to help the government confront Islamist radicals in the northern region of Cabo Delgado which is rich in natural gas deposits
• Wagner Group reportedly suffered its first losses within weeks of deployment
• Wagner units lost 5 members, along with 20 Mozambican soldiers, killed in an ambush in Cabo Delgado Al Venter, a renowned expert on mercenaries in Africa, stated, “You have to realize Mozambique is one of the toughest environments in the world”
• Wagner has almost no experience in primitive bush warfare
• Another reason for Wagner’s defeat in this south eastern African state stemmed from “growing tensions” with the local armed forces—incidentally, the same problem that Soviet military advisors experienced in Africa during the Cold War
• Observers say that as a result of these losses, Wagner has left the Cabo Delgado area (Jamestown, 2020)

Photo thought to be Wagner Group MI-8 HIP Helicopter in Mozambique

Photo thought to be Wagner Group Advise & Assist Mercenary in Mozambique

Photo thought to be Wagner Group in Mozambique-Unconfirmed may be Wagner operating in Syria

Photo Courtesy of UNIAN Information Agency (2019)

Dyck Advisory Group Backfills Wagner Group Withdrawal

• Following the humiliating withdrawal of Wagner Group from Cabo Delgado, the Maputo government hired South African contractor DAG
• Dyck Advisory Group’ (DAG), was tasked with providing much-needed air support
• In stark contrast to Wagner – DAG had previous experience operating in the region, albeit primarily through their anti-poaching operations in 2013
• In a similar fashion to the Russian group, DAG also had a difficult start to their operations in the region, losing a helicopter to enemy fire within the first couple of weeks as well as a reconnaissance micro light aircraft in June 2020
• Despite this, the air support provided by DAG has been helpful in preventing the Islamic insurgency from moving into key strategic cities such as Pemba
• Furthermore, DAG worked alongside government forces to retake the town of Macomia from the insurgents
• There are clear technical weaknesses with DAG that are reducing their capacity to operate in the region: firstly, their aerial equipment cannot operate at night time and secondly, they require regular refueling stops which can only be carried out at the air base in Pemba, some 185km south of the main areas of conflict (Global Risk Insights, 2021)

Paramount Group Enters, Provides Hardware & Training

• As well as extending the DAG contract within the region, the government of Mozambique has also brought in the African-based global aerospace and technology company
• Paramount Group doesn’t supply personnel or mercenaries to Governments; it provides equipment (which could include armored vehicles, aircraft, UAVs and naval vessels) and relevant training including, pilot training, K9 training and vehicle operator training (Global Risk Insights, 2021)

Paramount Group Buys Stake in Burnham Global, Provides Advisory & Training

• Paramount Group, the South African defence and aerospace group, reportedly has a contract to provide vehicles and training to the army
• The group said it was “restricted from commenting on the nature and scope of its customer contracts”
• All exports received approval of the South African government
• Burnham Global, a Dubai-based contractor staffed by British military veterans, announced last month that Paramount had acquired a stake in the company and that together they had “a multimillion-dollar contract with an African government to provide a range of military training and advisory services . . . to effectively counter an ongoing insurgency within its borders”
• Burnham Global declined to comment on whether the client was Mozambique; Other African countries from Nigeria to Mali are also fighting internal insurgencies.
• The company’s training work “is guided by a strict ethical code and adheres to the highest international standards”, it said, Mozambique’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Paramount and Burnham Global
• Neither Paramount nor Burnham Global employ soldiers, “We employ engineers, technicians, naval architects, designers, mathematicians, lawyers, accountants, managers etc but no military personnel or mercenaries,” Paramount said.  (Financial Times, 2021)

News Footage Courtesy of Sky News-VIA YouTube (2021)

Mozambique Insurgency Attack Province of Cabo Delgado

01-03 March 2021

• In Nangade district, Islamist insurgents set roadblocks between district capital Nangade and garrison town of Mueda pushing west near Muiha village, and killed at least three soldiers and four civilians in several attacks in area

06 March 2021

• In response, government forces raided insurgent encampment at Nkonga village, and next day reportedly reopened Nangade-Mueda road

24 March 2021

• Islamist insurgents launched major attack on the strategic port town of Palma in the far north, leaving scores dead and triggering mass exodus as government forces struggled to respond
• Hours after French oil and gas company Total announced it was resuming full operations at Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project site in Palma district, Cabo Delgado province
• Islamist insurgents launched large-scale assault on district capital Palma
• In following days, coordinated attacks in and around Palma reportedly killed scores of civilians including for first time foreigners, and displaced thousands
• Reports of major killings started to emerge by month’s end
• In Macomia district, insurgents struck administrative posts of Mucojo and Quiterajo, taking an unknown number hostage and killing others

25 March 2021

• Meanwhile, security forces moved to flush insurgents out of Palma, with government troops “pursing the enemy’s movement” and “working tirelessly to restore security” in Palma

26 March 2021

• An assault on Amarula hotel prompted dozens, including foreigners, to flee in 17-vehicle convoy; insurgents ambushed the convoy, reportedly leaving an unknown number dead and at least 50 missing

29 March 2021

• Islamic State claimed responsibility, said its combatants had seized town and killed 55 including “western citizens”

Photo Mozambican Officer with United States Advisor

Photo Courtesy of Foreign Brief Geopolitical Risk Analysis (2020)

Mozambican government Brings in US military advisers

10 March 2021

• The US government designated al-Shabab in Mozambique as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, describing it as an Islamic State-affiliate
• American soldiers will train local forces fighting the militants

15 March 2021

• “US special operations forces… will support Mozambique’s efforts to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism,” the US embassy in Mozambique
• Jasmine Opperman, an analyst with the monitoring group Acled, says that it is a complex local conflict, and that “the US is framing the insurgency in a very over-simplified manner by referring to [the militants] as an extension of the Islamic State” (BBC, 2021)

Amnesty International Report Claims War Crimes in Mozambique

• In its report, titled ‘What I Saw Is Death’: War Crimes in Mozambique’s Forgotten Cape’, Amnesty said it had interviewed 79 internally displaced people between September and January, and reviewed satellite imagery, photographs, medical records and ballistics information. Reuters was not independently able to verify the material described in the report (Defenseweb-VIA-Reuters, 2021)
• In early March a report by Amnesty International said that DAG was carrying out indiscriminate attacks including firing into crowds and targeting civilian infrastructure like hospitals
• The report accused Dyck Advisory Group staff of opening fire indiscriminately on civilians while pursuing suspected fighters (Defenseweb-VIA-Reuters, 2021)
• “Everything that they said was totally unfair, it was a desktop study,” Dyck told CNN
• He admitted that DAG crews had fired into crowds when terrorists were attacking his men from among civilians, and “dissidents [who] ran into a hospital shooting at us so we shot them,” Dyck explained
• Dyck told CNN that a law firm hired by DAG was conducting an investigation into the allegations, and that all their actions were cleared by a senior Mozambican officer
• He said that their operation has been one of the only effective measures against attacks (CNN, 2021)
• According to Amnesty, insurgents had abducted young women and children, including young girls “Fighters routinely kill civilians, loot their homes, and then burn them down using petrol”
• It said residents used separate words to describe two Al-Shabaab methods of killing: “beheaded” and “chopped”, the second of which, it quoted a 75-year-old man as saying, meant “being ‘divided like a cow”
• As for the government forces, Amnesty said videos and photos showed “the attempted beheading, torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners, the dismemberment of alleged Al-Shabaab fighters, possible extrajudicial executions, and the transport and discarding of a large number of corpses into apparent mass graves” (Defenseweb-VIA-Reuters, 2021)

Dyck Advisory Group Board of Inquiry

• South African private military firm will hire outside lawyers to look into its activities in Mozambique, it said, after Amnesty International accused it of firing indiscriminately on civilians while helping the government fight an insurgency
• Lionel Dyck, the founder of the company, told Reuters: “We take these allegations very seriously and we are going to put an independent legal team in there shortly to do a board of inquiry and look at what we are doing.” He declined to give further details of the group’s mission in Mozambique
• In a report issued on Tuesday, Amnesty accused both the government and the insurgents of war crimes against civilians, including killings, dismemberment, torture and abductions (Defenseweb-VIA-Reuters, 2021)

Government Forces-What are They Accused of?

• The government response includes “extrajudicial executions and acts of torture and other ill-treatment”, the NGO said. The report cited instances of civilians being executed for supposed support of Al Shabaab and of raping women
• The NGO cited various videos showing atrocities by the government forces
• The Mozambique government claims Al Shabaab created these atrocities in order to discredit the security forces (Energy Voice, 2021)

Islamist Insurgency or Not? 

No, Not an Islamist Insurgency

• Amnesty International describes Al Shabab as a “local opposition group” (AI, 2021)
• Jasmine Opperman, an analyst with the monitoring group Acled, says that it is a complex local conflict, and that “the US is framing the insurgency in a very over-simplified manner by referring to [the militants] as an extension of the Islamic State” (BBC, 2021)
• They are known locally as al-Shabab, Arabic for “youth”, but it seems to be just a handy nickname as they don’t have any known affiliation with Somalia’s jihadi rebels of the same name (Economic Times, 2021)

Yes an Islamist Insurgency

• The Islamic State Wilayat Wasat Afriqqiya (Islamic State Central Africa Province: ISCAP) acknowledged the insurgents’ pledge of allegiance in July 2020 (Jane’s IHS Markit, 2021)
• The attack came exactly two weeks after the US State Department labelled the group known also as al-Shabaab, an IS-linked terror group, saying it “reportedly pledged allegiance to (IS) as early as April 2018”.
• It blacklisted Abu Yasir Hassan, saying he was the leader of ISIS-Mozambique
• The US government designated al-Shabab in Mozambique as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, describing it as an Islamic State-affiliate
• “US special operations forces… will support Mozambique’s efforts to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism,” the US embassy in Mozambique (BBC, 2021)
• For a few years, the insurgents didn’t appear to be linked to any group, but in 2019, the Islamic State group began claiming responsibility for their attacks, calling them the Islamic State Central African Province
• Islamic State also posts photos and videos of the militants, often standing by the group’s flag (Economic Times, 2021)

Insurgency in Mozambique-The Damage

• In October 2017, about 30 armed men launched a dawn raid on three police stations in Mocimboa da Praia, a port city in the province of Cabo Delgado, a predominantly Muslim region bordering Tanzania
• “We all knew they were dangerous, but we never thought they were capable of waging a war,” said a local imam who was then based in Mocimboa da Praia — about 80 kilometres south of Palma
• Three years later, the conflict has taken root and the group Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama (ASWJ), has triggered a humanitarian crisis akin to the end of Mozambique’s 1977-1992 civil war
• Their attacks have left at least 2,600 people dead, half of them civilians, and uprooted nearly 700,000 people (Economic Times, 2021)

Janes IHS Markit-Islamist insurgency gains momentum

What is Driving Al Shabab’s Presence in Mozambique?

• August of 2020, The Islamic State Wilayat Wasat Afriqqiya (Islamic State Central Africa Province: ISCAP) insurgents captured the Cabo Delgado town and fishing harbour of Mocímboa da Praia and connected roads, thereby securing a steady revenue stream from the taxation of illicit trade in minerals and drugs Mocímboa da Praia has been a key transit point for narcotics for over forty years, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan
• The drugs then make their way down to Johannesburg in South Africa, and then on to Cape Town before being shipped to western Europe, the US, and other destinations
• Access to these resources has enhanced their recruitment capability, allowing them to offer relatively high salaries to disenfranchised locals
• Increased revenues have also allowed the insurgents to attract defectors from the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique: FADM), resulting in increased intelligence leaks from the FADM as well as greater access to arms and ammunition, while also contributing to lower morale among FADM troops (Jane’s IHS Markit, 2021)

Video Courtesy of CNN-VIA YouTube (2021)

Dyck Advisory Group-War Crimes or Collateral Damage?

• After security forces lost a number of battles with ‘Al-Shabaab’, the government hired the Dyck Advisory Group (DAG), a South African private military company, to fight on their behalf using armed helicopters
• According to 53 witnesses who spoke to Amnesty International, DAG operatives have fired machine guns from helicopters and dropped hand grenades indiscriminately into crowds of people, as well as repeatedly fired at civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes (Energy Voice, 2021)

Amnesty International

Deprose Muchena of Amnesty International claims-“The testimony we have gathered reveals a pattern of repeated, reckless targeting by Dyck Advisory Group”

“By firing indiscriminately into crowds, attacking civilian infrastructure, and failing to distinguish between military and civilian targets, they have clearly violated international humanitarian law. They must now be held accountable for their actions” (AI, 2021)

• One woman, who witnessed fighting in Mocímboa de Praia in late June 2020, said: “Two helicopters came, one shooting and dropping bombs. One group [of civilians] that was running raised their hands and they were not shot. But another group that was with the bandits did not raise their hands and they were shot. Many people died there”
• During an attack on the town of Mocímboa in June 2020, DAG helicopters destroyed a hospital as they took aim at ‘Al-Shabaab’ fighters hiding inside the facility
• One woman, who was trapped for six days inside her home near the hospital, said: “…the helicopters shot against everything and everyone. For them it was no longer possible to know who was who. The majority of terrorists were in the hospital, thinking the helicopters could not attack. But one helicopter realized this, so they decided to bombard the hospital, that’s how the hospital was completely destroyed” (AI, 2021)

What is the Outlook for Mozambique and Africa?

• The rebels have grown in size and organization
• Once viewed as, ragtag dissatisfied youths, their attacks are more strategic and they are spreading their reach over a large part of northern Cabo Delgado
• Military experts say restoring stability will be a long, violent and challenging process
• A more long-range solution would be to; improve local governments and provide better services and living conditions, according to analysts and military experts; that will be difficult, with the rebels already entrenched in Africa’s arc of extremism, from the Sahel region in West Africa, to Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency in central Africa and al-Shabab’s entrenched conflict in Somalia in East Africa, the Islamist insurgency has a new foothold in southern Africa in Mozambique that will be hard to dislodge (Economic Times, 2021)

Photo thought to be unmarked Gazelle Helicopter DAG Air Force

Photo Courtesy of DefenseWeb (2021)

Photo of Dyke Advisory Group Bat Hawk fixed wing aircraft

Photo Courtesy of DefenseWeb (2021)

About Dyck Advisory Group (DAG)

 Colonel Lionel Dyck

• Colonel Lionel Dyck spent 26 years serving in the Rhodesian Security Forces and Zimbabwe Defence Forces. During his military service, Dyck fought in the Mozambican civil war as part of the Zimbabwean intervention force which provided assistance to the Mozambican government.  During his military career, Dyke developed strong ties within the governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.  Following the Mozambican Civil War, Dyck continued to be involved in Mozambique, through demining and anti-poaching activities.  In 1989 Dyke founded MineTech International, which is now one of the largest demining services in the world.
• Dyck Advisory Group was established in 2012 and is based in Velddrif, South Africa.  DAG offers specialized solutions in hazardous and challenging environments. Dyke supplies a number of services including explosive hazard management, K9 services, demining, explosives ordinance disposal, and anti-poaching services.
• DAG has overseen 250 projects, operating in 20 post conflict countries across the globe. DAG has led rapid reaction operations for clients that include; Governments, Multilateral Organisations, Commercial and Non Governmental Organizations.  (DAG, 2021) (DEVEX, 2021)

Key Personnel Dyck Advisory Group

Max Dyck

• Following many years spent guiding on the Zambezi River; Max started his demining career in Mozambique in 1997, and worked his way up to the position of Operations Director MineTech International. He joined the United Nations in 2009 as a Programme Manager for UNMASin Cyprus, Libya, Darfur, CAR and the DRC. Max holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Cyprus International Institute of Management

Paul Molam

• Paul entered the mine action industry in 2005 when he joined MineTech International in Zimbabwe as logistics manager, later moving into operations and project management. He has fourteen years of experience in planning and operations in Africa, the Far East and Central Asia. Paul holds a Masters in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, University of London (DAG, 2021)

What Does Dyck Advisory Group Do?

• DAG operations teams have been involved in the planning and implementation of over 150 Explosives Hazards Management projects in 24 theatres across the world
• DAG operations are fully compliant with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) and International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS)

Demining

• Mechanical clearance
• Battle area clearance
• Explosive ordinance disposal
• Weapons & ammunition management
• Counter Improvised explosives device training
• DAG has experience demining in 23 different theatres over a span of 20 years, including Libya, Ukraine and Syria

Specialized Security

• Complete management solutions
• Manned security
• Canine security
• Training
• DAG has security operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Central African Republic, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique
• DAG has secured Embassies, Airports, VIP individuals, World Cup Cricket venues

K9 Services

• Explosive detection dogs
• Patrol dogs
• Mine detection dogs
• Human tracking dogs
• Contraband detection dogs
• Handler K9 training
• DAG K9 Services has over 50 canine projects in over 10 countries around the world

Counter Poaching

• Complete Management solutions
• Aerial assets
• Training
• DAG is operating Counter Poaching services in Mozambique & Zimbabwe

Photo Courtesy of Politics 263

Dyck Advisory Group Operations in Mozambique

Dyck Advisory became active in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique in 2019.  DAG was engaged by Bernadino Rafael a Mozambiquan police chief.  Dyke performed a training role of local police and fought a local Islamist insurgency.  DAG deployed multiple rotary wing and light fixed wing airframes during operations in Cabo Delgado.  Reports of DAG aircraft consist of Aerospatiale Gazelles, Aerospatiale Allouette III, Eurocopter AS350 Écureuils and Bat Hawk light Aircraft.

Images

Photo Courtesy of Saba Tech (2020) https://milirepo.sabatech.jp/executive-outcomes/

Photo Courtesy of https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/military-helicopters/unmarked-gazelle-helicopters-spotted-in-mozambique/

Photo Courtesy of FAS (2021) https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/alouette-3_03z.jpg

Photo Courtesy of Air Vectors (2021) http://www.airvectors.net/avecu.html

Photo Courtesy of AirForce Technology (2021) https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/su25/

Photo Courtesy of Agenzia Fides (2020) http://www.fides.org/en/news/68018-AFRICA_MOZAMBIQUE_Cabo_Delgado_has_become_the_stage_of_a_mysterious_and_incomprehensible_war_denounce_the_Bishops

Photo Courtesy of International Business Times (2020) https://www.ibtimes.com/fear-spreads-mozambiques-gas-rich-province-jihadist-attacks-rise-2925424

Photo Courtesy of UNIAN Information Agency (2019)https://www.unian.info/world/10737747-five-russian-mercenaries-killed-in-mozambique-ambush-media.html

Photo Courtesy of Foreign Brief Geopolitical Risk Analysis (2020) https://www.foreignbrief.com/africa/mozambiques-northern-insurgency-continues-to-rage/

Photo Courtesy of Defense WEB-VIA Reuters (2021) https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/national-security/south-african-company-to-investigate-after-amnesty-says-it-shot-at-civilians-in-mozambique/

Photo Courtesy of Tela Non (2015) https://www.telanon.info/sociedade/2015/05/21/19263/ex-bufalos-combatem-contra-o-boko-haram-na-nigeria/

Photo Courtesy of Politics 263 (2020) https://www.politics263.com/2020/12/20/ex-zim-soldier-colonel-dyck-takes-on-islamic-terrorists-in-northern-mozambique/

Photo Courtesy of U.S. National Archives (2021) https://nara.getarchive.net/media/right-front-view-on-display-soviet-armored-personnel-carrier-bmp-1-mechanized-153f11

Photo Courtesy of Tass Russian News Agency (2019) https://tass.com/defense/1068549

Resources

Profile Dyke Advisory Group-Devex News (2021) https://www.devex.com/organizations/dyck-advisory-group-133038

Corporate Website-Dyke Advisory Group (2021) https://www.dyckadvisorygroup.com/

LinkedIn Profile-Dyke Advisory Group (2021) https://www.linkedin.com/company/dyck-advisory-group/?originalSubdomain=za

Dyck Advisory Group to investigate after Amnesty says it shot at civilians in Mozambique-Defense WEB-VIA Reuters (2021) https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/national-security/south-african-company-to-investigate-after-amnesty-says-it-shot-at-civilians-in-mozambique/

Explained: Who are the rebels in northern Mozambique? Economic Times- Times of India-VIA AP (2021) https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/explained-who-are-the-rebels-in-northern-mozambique/articleshow/81871559.cms

Who are Al-Shabab militants terrorising northern Mozambique-Economic Times-Times of India-VIA AFP (2021) https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/who-are-al-shabab-militants-terrorising-northern-mozambique/articleshow/81745336.cms

Mozambique, mercenaries accused of war crimes-Energy Voice-Ed Reed (2021) https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/africa/303697/mozambique-war-crimes-private/

Leader of mercenary group in Mozambique says that ISIS-linked insurgents hold Palma-CNN-David McKenzie (2021) https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/africa/lionel-dyck-mozambique-insurgents-hold-palma-intl/index.html

The Islamic State in Mozambique-LAWFARE- Dr. Tore Refslund Hamming (2021) https://www.lawfareblog.com/islamic-state-mozambique

Russian Mercenaries Pour Into Africa and Suffer More Losses (Part One) Jamestown- Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 17 Issue: 6-Sergey Sukhankin (2021) https://jamestown.org/program/russian-mercenaries-pour-into-africa-and-suffer-more-losses-part-one/

Mozambique looks to private sector in war against Islamists-Financial Times (2021) https://www.ft.com/content/2f35c5b0-7084-4bfd-b702-44769a6ac835

Mozambique conflict: What’s behind the unrest? BBC-Christopher Giles and Peter Mwai (2021) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56441499

Terrorism in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province: Examining the data and what to expect in the coming years-Jane’s IHS Markit- Dr. Eva Renon (2021) https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/terrorism-mozambiques-cabo-delgado-data.html

CRISISWATCH-Tracking Conflict Worldwide-International Crisis Group (2021) https://www.crisisgroup.org/index.php?q=crisiswatch/database&location%5B0%5D=125&crisis_=

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