Mozambique: Terrorists attack in Muidumbe district- MediaFax

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Mozambique: Terrorists attack in Muidumbe district- MediaFax

3:44 CAT | 17 Nov 2022

in file CoM

On Monday afternoon, terrorist groups operating in the north of Cabo Delgado province attacked villages in the district of Muidumbe, with a focus on Muambula village, the former district headquarters.

The attack took place just hours after President Filipe Nyusi had been visiting the neighbouring district of Mocimboa da Praia, where he hosted the launch ceremony of the 2022/23 agrarian campaign.

Locally, suspicions circulate that the terrorist attack on Muambula and Mapate was to some extent facilitated by what is considered a “concentration” of security resources on the presidential visit.

It is said that part of the local force from the Muambula village had been transferred to Namacande, the current district headquarters of Muidumbe, because Defence and Security Forces (FDS) staff there had been diverted to functions related to the presidential visit.

The description from the district suggests a strong attack, with the terrorists well aware of FDS weaknesses in the area. Others maintain that the terrorists had been in the Muambula area for at least three days, disguised as displaced people and planning the attack.

There have been attacks on nearby villages in recent weeks, with some people displaced to Muambula. It is believed that the terrorists infiltrated this group, and thus entered Muambula.

On the day of the attack, the group approached Muambula from two directions – some from Mandava, others from the lower part of Namacande. The first group reportedly left Muambula at the end of the day, heading towards Namacule via Mandava, Litapate and, later, the lower areas of Mandela.

At the launch of the agrarian campaign in Awasse, the President of the Republic, recognizing that security conditions were not yet perfect, recommended farmers to work the land in groups, with monitoring by the Defence and Security Forces.

Like other districts in Cabo Delgado, Mocímboa da Praia and Muidumbe are highly productive from an agricultural perspective, particularly along the Messalo River. But it is precisely in these low areas that the routine presence of terrorists has been reported.

Source: MediFax