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FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]
The Archbishop of Nampula and President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique warned on Monday of the risks of a humanitarian crisis with new waves of displaced people due to rebel attacks in the far north of that province which borders Cabo Delgado.
“It is a worsening of the crisis that was already experienced because of the war in Cabo Delgado. Now we also have displaced people from Nampula province itself,” Inácio Saure told Lusa.
The rebel incursions in Nampula have mainly targeted the districts of Eráti and Memba, especially since August, both on the banks of the Lúrio river, the natural border between Nampula and Cabo Delgado.
The new wave of attacks has destroyed infrastructure and an unknown number of deaths, including an Italian nun killed during an attack on the Catholic mission in Chipende, in the far north of the diocese of Nacala.
According to preliminary data the government of Nampula gave Lusa, the new incursions caused the displacement of around 10,000 people just in Eráti district.
There already had more than 8,000 people displaced in a re-housing centre in Corrane, Meconta, besides other thousands of people sheltered with family and friends all over the province.
“For us, it is a feeling of powerlessness […] because we already have many displaced from the war coming from Cabo Delgado,” stressed the Archbishop of Nampula.
For the Archbishop of Nampula, policies and strategies to accompany the youth are fundamental to stop recruitment, avoiding groups with dark intentions take advantage of the vulnerability of these younger people.
“The youth must be cared for, educated and trained. On the other hand, it is necessary to defend these young people from the weaknesses that make them easily recruited”, stressed Ignacio Saure.
The Archbishop of Nampula also lamented the death of the Italian sister Maria de Coppi, shot dead during the attack on the Catholic mission in Chipende, in Nampula.
“This Italian nun was 83 years old, 59 of which were spent serving the people of Mozambique,” the Nampula archbishop said, describing her as one of the “martyrs” of the war against insurgency in northern Mozambique.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but has been terrorised since 2017 by armed violence, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The insurgency has led to a military response since a year ago by forces from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects but leading to a new wave of attacks in other areas.
Officials have branded the latest incursions as scattered reactions by fleeing insurgents in Cabo Delgado as they try to survive the onslaught of troops pursuing them.
There are about 800,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
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