Cabo Delgado: Armed group kills residents, members of local force in Muia – Lusa report

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Cabo Delgado: Armed group kills residents, members of local force in Muia – Lusa report

2:48 CAT | 26 Feb 2022

Image: Google Maps

An unknown armed group has killed an uncounted number of residents of a village in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, including local militia members, a source resident in Nangade told Lusa on Friday.

“The terrorists did damage: this time it was three days in Muia [sometimes spelt Muiha], killing”, described the source, explaining that when the military forces arrived in the village in Nangade district “they found members of the local force and some dead civilians”.

The so-called “local forces” are groups of volunteers, mainly ex-combatants, who have taken up arms in various parts of the province to defend themselves.

At the same time, almost all the houses in the village have been reduced to ashes.

A new team of soldiers was deployed on Thursday to Muia to “restore order and tranquillity”, while people continue to flee the surrounding villages.

Some people pass through Nangade to try to reach other parts of the province, but without success, because attacks have been happening along the road.

The district has been the target of several attacks during this month.

Nangade lies between two distinct parts of Cabo Delgado: to the east it borders Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, the scene of the main clashes, and to the west it borders Mueda, which has served as a refuge for thousands of displaced people.

As the offensive supported by Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) progresses, it is suspected that rebels are also fleeing to neighbouring districts and provinces, giving rise to these new attacks on villages.

Muiha.map_ — *Source: Detail of OCHA reference map of Cabo Delgado province issued on 21/05/2019 – highlight is ours. Please note that Muia is spelt Muiha in this map.*

The province of Cabo Delgado is rich in natural gas, but, terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels with some attacks being claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The conflict has already caused more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 859,000 displaced people, according to the Mozambican authorities.

Source: Lusa