Mozambique: At least seven suspected insurgents killed in Macomia

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Mozambique: At least seven suspected insurgents killed in Macomia

1:36 CAT | 02 Jul 2025

File photo: DW

Mozambican Defence and Security Forces killed at least seven alleged terrorists and wounded several more in clashes over the weekend in the forests of Quiterajo, Macomia, Cabo Delgado province, an official source told Lusa on Tuesday.

According to official sources, the seven alleged terrorists were killed during day-time clashes between defence and security forces and the rebels in the Quiterajo woods, more than 50 kilometres from the district headquarters of Macomia, when they were allegedly preparing to attack a military position.

“Our force showed courage and bravery, and seven terrorists were killed,” said the source, speaking from Macomia. He added that, in addition to the fatalities, there were also reports of injuries in the clashes: “There was a lot of blood in the Quiterajo woods.”

The clashes began on Friday and continued until Sunday, causing some locals to leave Mucojo out of fear. “People evacuated from Mucojo out of fear, but no one attacked Mucojo,” the source assured.

On Thursday, June 26, the administrator of Macomia, Tomás Badae, told reporters that more than 22,000 people, displaced by attacks by insurgent groups, had already returned to Mucojo and Chai, and that the population was expected to return to Quiterajo.

Macomia

Located along the EN380 national road, the district of Macomia is in the centre of Cabo Delgado, 200 kilometres from Pemba, the provincial capital.

The Armed Forces of Defence of Mozambique and their counterparts in Rwanda have been fighting the insurgency in Cabo Delgado since 2017, with the help of the so-called Local Force, composed mainly of former guerrillas of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo).

Gas-rich Cabo Delgado province has, since October 2017, been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State, which have 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 US Department of Defence institution that analyses conflicts in Africa.

Source: Lusa/ DW