(Bloomberg) --

Islamic State-linked insurgents in Mozambique’s gas-rich northeast are increasing their attacks on government forces and civilians, despite the presence of thousands of regional troops in the area.

The number of attacks by the militants grew between January and February and forced more than 12,000 people to flee their homes, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Cabo Delgado province said in a report Thursday.

The insurgency in Cabo Delgado has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced 700,000 others. It’s also suspended the development of a $20 billion liquid-natural-gas project by TotalEnergies SE, which has demanded that the security situation be stabilized before the company resumes work.

The latest attacks didn’t take place near the TotalEnergies development site, UNOCHA said, without providing more information.

Security experts say attacks in Cabo Delgado will continue because of intelligence failures and as the insurgents adapt to the presence of foreign forces. The Southern African Development Community, a regional economic bloc, and Rwanda have deployed more than 3,000 foreign troops to help the government fight the militants.

“The insecurity situation in Cabo Delgado has not been restored yet and the insurgency will continue for much longer,” Colonel Luis Bernardino, a professor at the Centre for International Studies at the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, said in an interview. “What is failing is the ability to anticipate the movement of attacking groups.”

The South African National Defence Force said last week it’s deploying more troops to Cabo Delgado to reinforce the SADC mission.

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