The prime minister’s resignation leaves president Marc Christian with little time to form a new government in a politically unstable country.

As many as 600 women and girls have been kidnapped by jihadists in Mozambique since 2018, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

The Niger soldiers had “defended themselves ferociously” killing dozens of the attackers before being overwhelmed by their numbers

The early morning attack happened a day after 7 soldiers were killed by ISWAP jihadists near a base at Rann, close to the Cameroonian border

“We lost two of our men,” said one Benin military official after the post in Porga in Atacora region was attacked in the early hours

In Burkina, Kone said five “terrorist bases” were destroyed and “around 30 terrorists neutralised in clashes” near the border with Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso’s opposition last week demanded “urgent measures” amid the deterioration of the country’s security situation

“Fortunately, this attack was repelled by soldiers,” he said, adding that they were backed by Burkina Faso volunteer civilian fighters

The jihadist violence has killed some 40 000 and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast since 2009

Its armed forces are poorly trained and equipped against highly mobile jihadist units linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Adriano Nuvunga, head of Mozambique’s Centre for Democracy and Development, warned of the “Iraqisation” of Cabo Delgado.

“We are concerned, even alarmed, by the ongoing fighting in Guricel […],” the UN Special Representative for Somalia

Ouoba said the jihadists had made the area their “nest” and that the whole province “has fallen into evil hands […]”

France – which intervened in Mali, has thousands of troops in the country – views talks with jihadist groups as anathema

Bankilare, northeast Burkina Faso, part of the troubled three-borders region of Mali, Niger, struggling with a deadly surge in jihadist

“Two air strikes were unleashed, the vehicle destroyed and the five occupants neutralised,” the French army said of the Jihadist

Kidnappings have been common in Mali since the country was plunged into turmoil in 2012 when Jihadist insurgency first erupted in the north

Despite the presence of thousands of French and UN troops, the conflict has engulfed central Mali and spread to Burkina Faso and Niger

The total size of the SADC deployment has not been revealed, but South Africa has the largest contingent of around 1 500

Nigeria has been fighting a 12-year-old jihadist insurrection in the northeast that has killed more than 40,000 people.

President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Maputo on Thursday for a special SADC meeting regarding the recent Mozambique terror attacks.