Mozambique delegation participates in OIC meeting in Istanbul
Mozambique: Defence forces are containing extremists in Cabo Delgado – government | Watch
2:48 CAT | 06 Aug 2025
Screen grab: STV
Government forces are containing the extremist groups which have been attacking Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, since 2017, preventing them from accessing areas previously under their control, the Mozambican government said yesterday.
“The terrorists’ movements are restricted, they are controlled, to the extent that there is a certain area that they are no longer allowed to access or enter […], which is why the area that has been attacked or moved is an area that was effectively considered not problematic, but this shows that we must be more vigilant,” government spokesperson Inocêncio Impissa said.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the weekly Council of Ministers meeting in Maputo, Impissa confirmed the occurrence of new attacks by armed groups in Cabo Delgado, with the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) halting their incursions.
“We must first ensure that, in fact, the movements are contained by our FDS (…). Intense work is being carried out, to the point that these different groups that have been moving are not being able to cross certain points where they would like to cross and commit atrocities or worsen the atrocities they have been carrying out,” said Impissa, indicating that the FDS continues to stop these groups on the ground.
“The village [that] was attacked last week and moved [displaced] a group of people, it was clear, was not an area normally attacked. They are certainly trying to find supplies, create a sort of buffer zone for their protection, but our forces are fortunately managing to contain these movements and are naturally confining the movements of these terrorists,” Impissa concluded.
O Governo diz que ainda não sabe se os novos ataques na província de Cabo Delgado são protagonizados pelos terroristas ou Naparamas, mas garante que as FADS estão a trabalhar incansavelmente para restabelecer a estabilidade.
#StvNoticias #GrupoSoico
https://t.co/3GxkwFtECZ pic.twitter.com/1w6X1REX5W— stvnoticias (@stvnoticias_mz) August 6, 2025
Increasing displacement
More than 57,000 people have been displaced since July 20 in Cabo Delgado following a resurgence of extremist attacks, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) consulted yesterday by Lusa.
Elements associated with the extremist group Islamic State claimed responsibility on Monday for new attacks in the districts of Chiúre and Muidumbe, with at least five people beheaded, amidst escalating violence in that Mozambican province.
The claim, made through Islamic State propaganda channels, states that four people were captured and beheaded in a village in Chiúre on Friday. On Sunday, another person was captured and killed in Muidumbe, also by elements allegedly belonging to the Ahlu-Sunnah wal Jama`a (ASWJ) group.
Late last week, the same group claimed responsibility for another attack in Chiúre and the deaths of 18 Naparama paramilitaries, using different weapons. The extremist group claimed responsibility for the deaths in this attack in Walicha and the destruction of “dozens of homes” and motorcycles.
The Naparama are Mozambican paramilitaries that emerged in the 1980s during the civil war, combining traditional knowledge and mystical elements to combat their enemies, operating as a community. In Cabo Delgado, these militias support the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) in the fight against extremists who have been operating locally since 2017 and have already displaced more than a million people throughout the province.
Several districts of Cabo Delgado, especially Chiúre, have seen increased activity by members of these groups in recent days. Last week, extremists also claimed responsibility for the beheading of at least three Mozambican Christians in different locations.
The Minister of National Defence on Thursday admitted his concern about the wave of new attacks in Cabo Delgado, adding that defence forces are on the ground pursuing armed insurgents.
Since 2017, gas-rich Cabo Delgado province has been facing an armed insurgency, which has displaced more than a million people.
Source: Lusa
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.