Mozambique: Bodies found of two women who fled insurgents – Lusa

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Mozambique: Bodies found of two women who fled insurgents – Lusa

12:42 CAT | 05 Dec 2022

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

A remote community in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, found the bodies of two women on Sunday, reportedly murdered while taking refuge in the bush from armed attacks in the region, residents said.

“A group of three hunters found two pregnant women, dead and with signs of rape, near a stream known as Mambi,” said a resident at the Meluco district headquarters.

The two women were identified as belonging to the community of Minhanha, 33 kilometres from the district headquarters.

According to residents, both were part of a group that fled the settlement after an attack in October.

Although the district of Palma, where the gas projects are projected, is protected by Rwandan troops, there are still frequent reports of attacks, fighting and deaths in other districts of Cabo Delgado.

According to reports from the population, Minhanha was one of the hotbeds of insecurity, with an invasion by rebels who also stopped the movement of displaced people between Meluco and Xaxaxaxa.

“There was an attack, but now Minhanha is in our hands. There are no more rebels there,” a local militia source said however.

The start of the rainy season, which lasts until the end of March, also brings new threats to the precarious situation of those displaced by the conflict.

On Thursday, at least nine displaced people died after a thunderstorm hit the football pitch in the main town of Nangade district, a local source said, noting that funerals were held on Friday.

Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects. Still, new attacks have emerged south of the region and in neighbouring Nampula province.

The conflict has left one million people displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and about 4,000 dead, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Source: Lusa