Mozambican and Rwandan forces thwart kidnapping of civilians in Cabo Delgado

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Mozambican and Rwandan forces thwart kidnapping of civilians in Cabo Delgado

2:07 CAT | 24 Mar 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Pinnacle News]

The Mozambican and Rwandan security forces on Sunday thwarted the attempted kidnapping of civilians in the district of Macomia, Cabo Delgado province, local sources told Lusa.

The incident took place at around 10:00 a.m. on the stretch of road between the villages of Chai and of V Congresso on National Road 380, when the alleged terrorists stopped five passenger transport vehicles that were traveling from Mueda to Pemba, and forced the passengers to get out and to accompany them.

“They stopped us after Chai, ordered us to get out and took us with them into the forest,” said a source speaking from Macomia, moments after escaping from the scene.

The Mozambican and the Rwandan Defence and Security Forces soon became aware of the attack and went to rescue the victims, which led to the rebels fleeing.

“They said they were going to kill us. Thanks to the military, ours and Rwandans, who arrived in BTRs [armoured vehicles], the rebels fled,” our source said.

On the same stretch of road, alleged terrorists on Saturday robbed a truck loaded with cement that was heading to the northern region of Cabo Delgado, an attack in which two people were injured, including the driver.

Gas-rich Cabo Delgado has, since October 2017, been facing an armed rebellion that has caused thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis which has displaced more than a million people.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the province, an increase of 36% compared to the previous year, according to data recently released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the US Department of Defende which analyses conflicts in Africa.

Source: Lusa