Mozambique: France issues travel advice for Cabo Delgado – Lusa

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Mozambique: France issues travel advice for Cabo Delgado – Lusa

4:35 CAT | 15 Feb 2024

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

The French embassy in Mozambique has advised French citizens not to travel to the cities of Mocimboa da Praia, Pemba and Palma, in Cabo Delgado province, due to the “terrorist threat”. [Full text, in French, here: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/mozambique/]

“Due to the presence of a terrorist and kidnapping threat in the cities of Mocimboa da Praia, Pemba and Palma, it is strongly recommended not to travel to these cities, as well as travel on the roads that connect these locations,” reads a message to travellers published on Wednesday by the French embassy in Maputo.

On January 12th, the same embassy stated, in another message, that “in a context of intensification of the terrorist threat in Cabo Delgado”, attacks were “to be feared” in Mocimboa da Praia and Palma.

“There is also a high risk of ambushes on the region’s main roads,” the embassy warned at the time, when it was already “formally not recommended” to travel to those cities, including Pemba, the provincial capital.

A plant for the production and export of natural gas being developed by French multinational TotalEnergies near Palma and valued at US$20 billion dollars (€18.6 billion) has been suspended since 2021 due to terrorist attacks.

#Mozambique Province de Cabo Delgado – Menaces terroriste et d’enlèvement (Publié le 14/02/2024) En raison de la présence d’une menace terroriste et d’enlèvement dans les villes de Mocimboa da Praia, de Pemb… https://t.co/LSKZAtWltv

— Conseils Voyageurs (@ConseilsVoyages) February 14, 2024

In recent weeks, attacks by insurgent groups have been reported in several villages and roads in Cabo Delgado, including attacks on vehicles, kidnapping of drivers and demands for money for the population to travel on some roads.

The extremist Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a terrorist attack in Macomia, in Cabo Delgado, and the death of at least 20 people, one of the most violent in several months.

Through propaganda channels, the terrorist group documented the attack on a Mozambican armed forces position and the seizure of military material, and claimed yet another attack in Chiúre.

Lusa was unable to certify the authenticity of this claim on the ground, and the Mozambican authorities are not commenting on military operations underway in Cabo Delgado.

However, the district administrator of Macomia, Tomás Badae, confirmed on Monday that insurgent groups operating in Cabo Delgado attacked a Defence and Security Forces (FDS) position in the district.

The attack took place between and Saturday morning, between 11:00 p.m. on Friday night and 03:00 a.m. Saturday morning in the administrative post of Mucojo, 45 kilometres from the district headquarters of Macomia.

“Yes, they assaulted the position and took it over, but we have no further information as to whether they are still there or have already abandoned it,” Badae confirmed.

Local residents also reported several casualties among the Mozambican military.

On Tuesday, an attack in the district of Chiúre, involving the destruction of infrastructure and several churches, was also claimed by IS.

The attack began around 5:00 p.m. on Monday and lasted until almost midnight. The target was the headquarters of the Mazeze administrative post, in the interior of the Chiúre district, where the rebels set fire to the hospital, the administrative post secretariat and the residence of the head of the administrative post, district administrator of Chiúre, Oliveira Amimo said.

“The infrastructure is basically destroyed,” Amimo reported, adding that the rebels destroyed the chapel belonging to the Catholic Church.

“The part of private infrastructure, the priests’ chapel, was also destroyed and at this moment the enemy remains in the forests,” he added.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing attacks claimed by IS for six years, which has led to a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts next to the gas projects.

After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have been recorded in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, although locally authorities suspect that the movements are linked to pursuit by the Defence and Security Forces in the districts of Macomia, Quissanga and Muidumbe, among others.

Source: Lusa