Mozambique: Assault on Palma “already expected” – missionary | Listen

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Mozambique: Assault on Palma “already expected” – missionary | Listen

1:37 CAT | 26 Mar 2021

Image:: Twitter / @Jasminechic00

The attack by “malefactors” and “insurgents” in the village of Palma, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, this Wednesday, “was already expected”, a priest linked to the Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) has said.

“This attack was already expected, because in the last 15 days, the malefactors and the insurgents had been carrying out a series of attacks in the Nangade region. So, in the last 15 days, practically [all of] the various Nagande communities that border with Palma had already been attacked,” Brazilian missionary Father Edegard Silva says.

Father Edgard is currently in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado, where he took refuge after his parish church, located in Muidumbe district, was the scene of a violent attack.

Another priest in Pemba, Father Kwiriwi Fonseca, one of those responsible for the communication in the Provincial Diocese, explained in statements to ACIN that “the attacks” occurred “simultaneously in the village of Manguna and in the neighbourhoods of Quibuite and Quilaua, in Palma”.

On Tursday, ACIN released a voice message recorded by a man on the run at the time of the attacks, sent to Pemba in the middle of Wednesday afternoon.

“We are running, fleeing, to hide on the beach. There is shooting everywhere. God’s will be done, here in Palma,” he can be heard saying.

In the recording, it is clear that the person, who does not identify himself, is running, reporting that “the houses are deserted”, a sign that residents had already fled.

“In Palma, there are many family members of our [Catholic[ leaders. They called to say that they had already fled to the bush. When these attacks happen, people flee into the bush and communication is difficult, because of the [mobile phones] signal and the matter of charging batteries,” sad Father Edegard Silva.

The Mozambican Ministry of Defence on Thursday confirmed the attack on Palma, adding: “The defence and security forces are pursuing the enemy’s movement and are working tirelessly to restore security and order.”

Speaking for the Mozambican Ministry of Defence, Colonel Omar Saranga acknowledged that communications with Palma were interrupted, with no information on victims or damage so far.

#CaboDelgado “Já se esperava que houvesse esse ataque” denuncia missionário à @FundacaoAIS https://t.co/9aJRwzEbXy

— Fundação AIS | ACN Portugal (@FundacaoAIS) March 25, 2021

In Thursday’s statements to the press, Omar Saranga said that the attack by armed groups began at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday (2:15 p.m. in Lisbon), when “terrorists attacked the village of Palma from three directions: the Pundanhar-Manguna crossing, via Nhica do Rovuma, and the aerodrome”.

The Ministry of Defence called on the population “to remain vigilant and calm while identifying places of safety”, and asking for help in “pinpointing the terrorists […] for their neutralisation”.

Several sources told Lusa on Wednesday that the population of Palma was leaving the village and taking refuge in the forest, a scenario confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.

According to eyewitness reports, workers of various nationalities linked to the gas projects in Palma had fled, along with residents, after armed groups attacked the district headquarters.

Details of those affected are still unavailable, but the village is the base for several companies and staff connected with ongoing investments there.

Palma has until now been spared the three-and-a-half year armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado, which has brought about a humanitarian crisis with almost 700,000 displaced and more than 2,000 deaths.

Source: Lusa / ACIN