Mozambique: Elephant kills five IDPs working in field in Cabo Delgado

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Mozambique: Elephant kills five IDPs working in field in Cabo Delgado

7:29 CAT | 12 Jul 2022

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

Five people displaced due to armed attacks in Macomia were killed by an elephant on Saturday, the spokesman for the Mozambican police in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, confirmed to Lusa on Monday.

“This is a situation of conflict between man and animals,” Mário Adolfo explained to Lusa, clarifying that the victims were not in any protected area.

The incident occurred in the village of Xinavane, 10 kilometres from the headquarters of Macomia. The victims, who include two children, were surprised when they were working in an agricultural field, another source from the local force fighting rebels in the region told Lusa.

All five victims are from Mocujo and had been sheltered in the headquarters of Macomia for almost three years, added the source of the local force.

Every year, the Mozambican authorities report cases of deaths, injuries and destruction of crops by animals, and mechanisms have been developed for the population to drive them away, at least until inspectors intervene.

A total of 97 Mozambicans died and 66 were injured in 2020 in recorded attacks alone (others are not reported) by wild animals, mostly by crocodiles, according to the most up-to-date data from the national administration of conservation areas (ANAC).

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

There are about 800,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Since July 2021, an offensive by government troops with the support of Rwanda later joined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has allowed areas where there was a rebel presence to recover, but their flight has provoked new attacks in other districts used as passage or refuge.

Source: Lusa