Authorities name 2 Mozambican men suspected leaders of Mocímboa attacks; link them to Tanzania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia

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Authorities name 2 Mozambican men suspected leaders of Mocímboa attacks; link them to Tanzania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia

1:46 CAT | 04 Dec 2017

The district government of Moçímboa da Praia in northern Mozambique has named two men suspects of organising the attacks by an armed group against the police in October. The men’s current whereabouts are unknown,

Two murders and a fire that destroyed a village in the district last week are also being attributed to this same group, added Rodrigo Puruque, administrator of Mocímboa da Praia.

The names of suspects Nuro Adremane and Jafar Alawi are listed in a document delivered by the administrator to the provincial government of Cabo Delgado last week and quoted today by state-owned newspaper Notícias. Both men are Mozambican citizens.

Meanwhile, the district government says both men are studying religious doctrines in Tanzania, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, where they allegedly receive military training and learn how to handle firearms and knives, all of these activities allegedly taking place outside the control of formal institutions.

According to the administrator, the group is still being led by these two individuals and it remains active in the region, having been responsible for two deaths and injuries in two more people in the village of Mitumbate last week, where they allegedly started a fire that destroyed 27 houses.

The attack by an armed group at police stations in Mocímboa da Praia led the village to a standstill which lasted two days, October 4-5, and then continued in the form of sporadic conflicts for the rest of the month in surrounding areas.

At least two officers and four other elements of the security forces have died, as did an unspecified number of attackers which different authority figures place at above 10 mortal victims.

The attacks motivated the preventive transfer, in helicopters, of personnel from the companies involved in natural gas investments in the region, sources at the site told Lusa.

Oil company Wentworth, which is conducting exploration in the area, announced to investors in November that it has delayed some operations linked to the opening of a new hole due to the incidents.

Source: Lusa