Regional leaders will discuss the crisis in Mozambique on Thursday at a 'double troika' summit of the Southern African Development Community.

Regional leaders will meet in Maputo this week to discuss a proposal to counter the rapidly growing Islamic State-linked insurgency in Mozambique's northernmost Cabo Delgado province.

The region has been stalling in its response for many months but was finally jolted into belated action by the major insurgent attack and capture of the coastal town of Palma near the Tanzanian border which began on 24 March.

The attack prompted an international consortium headed by the French energy giant Total to withdraw all its personnel and suspend operations at the Afungi liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant which it is building 12km from Palma.

The Mozambique government claimed on Monday that its armed forces had recaptured Palma -- now a ghost town after its inhabitants and many foreign contractors, some South African, fled before the insurgents.

Analysts remain sceptical about the reports of the Mozambique government victory, some suggesting that even if it is true, the insurgents may merely have retreated to regroup before a counter-attack.

Regional leaders will discuss the crisis in Mozambique on Thursday at a "double troika"...