Cabo Delgado: Displaced tell of “chilling ” experiences in Muidumbe – Carta

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Cabo Delgado: Displaced tell of “chilling ” experiences in Muidumbe – Carta

4:08 CAT | 23 Nov 2020

File photo: O País

Before the insurgents’ 31st of October to 11th of November offensive in Muidumbe district, Salimo Tadeu lived in Lutete village, where he was engaged in commerce. After tragedy descended upon the district, Tadeu was forced to move to Mueda with his family. Although, he says, his village was not the target of an attack, no-one wanted to stay in that part of the country.

Tadeu told ‘Carta’ that the main concern of the people in his village, as well as in other villages in Muidumbe, was to reach Montepuez district, in the southeast of the province. Montepuez is considered by some to be the epicentre of the insurgency, as some of the members of the (rebel) group were former artisanal miners expelled from the ruby mines of Namanhumbir.

Others, he says, wanted to go to Balama, Namuno or the city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado, or to Nampula in Nampula or Quelimane in Zambezia.

Benedita Mariano, a native of N’tchinga, also in Muidumbe, says that during the attack on her village, the insurgents whistled, firing at first downwards, while calling their targets with the palm of the hand. She says that God was on her family’s side, and they managed to escape the “slaughter” and walk all the way, over many days, to Montepuez, where they are now.

“On November 2, a gentleman who was with us returned to the village to see if they were still there, since there was information that there were no more shots. So far, he has not returned,” she said.

“I hold out no hope of returning to my village, because most of the population is in other districts,” says Benedita Mariano, adding that she had escaped the insurgents’ fury three times.

‘Carta’ found that Montepuez was the new preferred destination for the displaced, especially those using Mueda district as a stopover point.

People come from the districts of Muidumbe, Mueda and Nangade. Some resort to scarce inter-district transportation, which has put up fares. The fare from Mueda to Montepuez has risen from 700 meticais to 1,000 meticais, with some even charging 1,500. Others walk, not out of choice, but for lack of money or even of transportation.

One Montepuez resident told us that people were sleeping in Montepuez bus station because they didn’t know where else to go.

Montepuez administrator confirms humanitarian drama

Montepuez District Administrator Isaura Máquina told our reporter that “a lot of people” had arrived there from districts affected by the terrorist attacks. She said that the situation of the displaced at the Nairoto Administrative Post, for example, was very worrying, but that her administration was working to help the families.

Prime Minister Agostinho Carlos do Rosário has said that more than 500,000 people displaced by the terrorist attacks are now living in Niassa, Nampula, Zambézia, Manica, Sofala and Inhambane provinces, and some other districts of Cabo Delgado province itself.

By Omardine Omar and Carta

Source: Carta de Moçambique