Mozambique: Defence minister demands eradication of armed groups in Cabo Delgado

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Mozambique: Defence minister demands eradication of armed groups in Cabo Delgado

6:10 CAT | 11 Nov 2019

Image; Lusa

Mozambique’s defence minister on Friday demanded that the Mozambican army eradicate unknown groups that have carried out attacks in northern Mozambique, considering that this is an attack on state sovereignty.

“It is up to you to do your part to ensure, in the whole institution of Defence and Security, the eradication of the malefactors who operate in some districts of Cabo Delgado province,” Atanásio Mtumuke said during a passing out ceremony of sergeants in Maputo province.

For the governor, the attacks in Cabo Delgado since October 2017, put at risk the sovereignty of the state and threaten independence, multi-party democracy and the democratic rule of law.

In his speech, Mtumuke also highlighted the importance of equipping the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) with human, technical and material resources, considering that the country is going through new challenges and that they require a new dynamic from the army.

More than 600 sergeants at the passing out ceremony will integrate into units of the FADM, having completed their training at the Armed Forces School, in the district of Boane, Maputo province.

The Cabo Delgado region has been affected since October 2017 by armed attacks carried out by groups created in mosques in the region and which erupted in Mocímboa da Praia.

As a result, at least 250 people have already died, almost all in isolated villages and during clashes in the bush, but on some occasions, the violence has hit transport on the main roads in the region, as well as the area of megaprojects for gas exploration, where there are several Portuguese sub-contractors.

Since June, the jihadist group Islamic State has been claiming some of the attacks, but authorities and analysts heard by Lusa doubt that there is genuine involvement of the terrorist group that goes beyond some contact with elements on the ground.

Source: Lusa