Mocímboa da Praia aerodrome lifts itself up after terrorist attack – Carta

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Mocímboa da Praia aerodrome lifts itself up after terrorist attack – Carta

4:29 CAT | 21 Sep 2020

A map of Mozambique showing Mocímboa da Praia, in Cabo Delgado [Source: Wikimedia Commons]

The aerodrome of the capital of the district of Mocímboa da Praia, in the north of the province of Cabo Delgado, has been rebuilt, five months after an attack by the terrorists who have killed, destroyed and sowed pain in Mozambique’s resource-rich northern province for almost three years, ‘Carta de Moçambique’ reports today..

Mocímboa da Praia has often been the scene of the terrorism plaguing Cabo Delgado province since October 2017, with the local aerodrome partially destroyed in on the 23rd of March.

Five months later, a source close to the company Aeroportos de Moçambique (ADM) has told ‘Carta’ that the infrastructure has been fully rebuilt for more than a month, at a cost to the company of almost half a million meticais.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Civil Aviation (IACM), João de Abreu, said that the aerodrome was fully operational, noting that air traffic had in fact never been suspended, as only the offices were destroyed.

A video circulated on social networks by the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FADM) shows the site after the attack, with a burnt-out double cab Mahindra brand ADM vehicle and a 15-seater Toyota mini-bus, which was vandalised and left with the door open.

Two FADM officials say in the film that the level of destruction is evidence of the insurgents’ destructive power.

“This was the last scenario seen here in the village of Mocímboa da Praia. As the pictures illustrate, it was not easy. Truly, the insurgents came at us with everything to destroy Mocímboa da Praia, this beautiful village of ours. We worked to control everything, but the men came with everything. Here at the airport, we tried to defend it, but they really used heavy weapons,” the authors of the video, accompanied by two other FADM officers, report.

The destruction of the aerodrome occurred two years after a 24 million meticais rehabilitation reopened it to traffic.

By Evaristo Chilingue

Source: Carta de Moçambique