Mozambique: Hundreds fleeing insurgents in south of Cabo Delgado – Lusa

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Hundreds fleeing insurgents in south of Cabo Delgado – Lusa

3:37 CAT | 21 Feb 2024

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

Hundreds of people are fleeing in the south of Cabo Delgado province, towards the neighbouring province of Nampula, due to the intensification of terrorist attacks in recent hours, according to sources on the ground.

The flight of people on foot and entire families, as also documented by several videos confirmed by Lusa, has been taking place since Monday and involves residents of Mazeze, Chiúre-Velho, Mahipa, Alaca, Nacoja B, Nacussa, who have left their respective villages to travel more than 20 kilometres along the National Road (N1), until they cross the Lúrio River, on the border with Nampula province, in search of refuge in the district of Eráti (Namapa).

“My mum is in Namapa, with six children. I had to send her money at least to buy food,” a source said on Wednesday from the town of Pemba, while waiting for news of the family.

The district of Chiúre, in the south of Cabo Delgado, has been the target of several attacks in recent days and residents have started to leave in the direction of Nampula.

“I’m in the group. Things aren’t going well, they’ve entered Alaca, they haven’t burnt houses, but they’ve damaged crops on our machambas [cultivated land],” said a 57-year-old woman, travelling from Namapa, already in Nampula.

READ: Mozambique: Forced displacement and violence in Cabo Delgado (DG ECHO, IOM) (ECHO Daily Flash of 21 February 2024)

In this wave of attacks, a tanker lorry loaded with fuel, bound for the city of Pemba, was burnt at around 16:00 (14:00 in Lisbon) on Tuesday by the terrorists in the Mahipa community, along the EN1 road, belonging to the Ocua administrative post in Chiúre.

“They ordered the truck to stop and then forced the driver to get out, burned the lorry and fled. The good thing is that they didn’t kill the driver,” said a community source, guaranteeing that the victim was promptly rescued.

“He got a lift, but he’ll need psychological help, it’s not easy coming face to face with these bandits,” he concluded.

At the end of Tuesday afternoon, the movement of the defence and security forces to the Ocua area was noticeable, in an apparent attempt to restore order in Chiúre.

“Cars and cars, there was a lot of force there, I think it might be a good sign for us to return to our homes,” said a 67-year-old woman in Namapa.

On Tuesday night, people reported bursts of gunfire at various points in the forests around the Ocua administrative post.

“It was scary. I heard a lot of gunfire in my village,” said a source from the community of Alaca, in the interior of Ocua.

In recent weeks there have been reports of attacks by insurgent groups in various villages and on the roads of Cabo Delgado, including approaches to vehicles, kidnapping of drivers and demands for money for the public to travel on some roads.

Last week, the extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Macomia, Cabo Delgado, which killed at least 20 people. It was one of the most violent attacks in several months.

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

Also last week, an attack claimed by IS was confirmed in the Chiúre district, with the destruction of several infrastructures and churches.

The target was the headquarters of the Mazeze administrative post, in the interior of Chiúre district, where the rebels set fire to the hospital, the administrative post offices and the residence of the head of the administrative post, said the Chiúre district administrator.

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

#Insurgência #Moz
População atravessar rio #Lurio na Província #CaboDelgado para #Namapa na Província #Nampula fugindo conflito armado.#Insurgency #Mozambique
Population crossing the #Lurio River in #CaboDelgado Province to #Namapa in #Nampula Province fleeing armed conflict. pic.twitter.com/7XGq3xh27y

— José Arlindo Muianga🗯️ (@Muianga) February 20, 2024

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