Mozambique: Eight killed in new Cabo Delgado attack, five of them soldiers – report

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Mozambique: Eight killed in new Cabo Delgado attack, five of them soldiers – report

10:59 CAT | 18 Nov 2019

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

An attack in Mengaleuwa, Chitunda administrative post in northern Mozambique, killed eight persons, five of them soldiers. Houses and stalls were also burned down.

An armed group attacked a village in northern Mozambique late on Saturday (16.11) killing eight, five of whom were soldiers, local sources told Lusa, on the basis of a preliminary assessment.

The attack took place in Mengaleuwa, Chitunda administrative post, Muidumbe district, 150 kilometres southwest of oil projects’ construction yards and near the paved road that connects the provincial capital, Pemba, to the north of Cabo Delgado.

Clashes lasted for hours

The attackers invaded the village at about 7:00 p.m. on Saturday (16.11) with clashes continuing until 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.

According to testimony taken by Lusa, the group approached the village singing songs in local languages, as involved in a ceremonial, and then opened fire on the military positions.

Preliminary assessments indicate that houses and informal stalls were burned down, and that three farm tractors and a grading machine belonging to a company responsible for building bridges over the Messalo River were also destroyed.

Despite repeated attempts, Lusa was unable to obtain further clarification from the authorities.

The district where the latest attack took place is the one where Mozambique’s defence and security forces recently conducted artillery offensive operations against the hiding places of the armed group responsible for the attacks in Cabo Delgado.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks since June this year, but officials and analysts consulted by Lusa think it unlikely that the jihadist terrorist group has any genuine involvement beyond, perhaps, some contact with elements on the ground.

Source: Deutsche Welle