Six dead and several injured in new Cabo Delgado attack

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Six dead and several injured in new Cabo Delgado attack

10:26 CAT | 25 Feb 2019

File photo: Lusa

Six people were killed and several more injured in a new attack in the district of Macomia, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, local sources told Lusa on Sunday.

The attack took place around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday when a passenger transport vehicle was intercepted on a dirt road linking the district of Macomia to the village headquarters of the Mucojo administrative post by an unidentified group of armed people, the source reports.

The group first opened fire, bringing the vehicle to a halt, then invaded it, killing six people, including a child.

Several people were injured during the attack, including the driver and his assistant. The wounded were evacuated to Pemba Provincial Hospital for assistance.

The attack occurred more than 100 kilometres south of where US oil company Anadarko was the target of related attacks on Thursday, resulting in one dead and six injured.

The attacks, the first to target employees of the Anadarko-led consortium, occurred about 20 kilometres from the oil company’s construction site, according to a statement from the company.

“The first involved a convoy and caused non-lethal injuries to six workers who received or are still receiving treatment. The second attack, involving a contractor [Portuguese company Gabriel Couto] building an airstrip for the project, resulted in one death,” the Anadarko statement revealed.

The attacks on Anadarko came two days after the company announced it had been able to finalise enough gas supply contracts to formally announce its investment, which is expected to start producing liquefied gas within four to five years.

A company source told Lusa a month ago that work was already proceeding with “enhanced security” following an attack on Maganja, a village a few kilometres from the construction zone which was attacked, with one resident being killed and several houses burned down.

Since October 2017, between 100 and 150 people, including residents, alleged attackers and members of the security forces have been killed. Last Thursday’s attack is the first to have taken the life of a worker linked to the liquid natural gas enterprise.

The wave of violence started with an armed attack on police stations in the village of Mocimboa da Praia by a group from a local mosque preaching insurgency against the state.

Source: Lusa