South African soldiers survive ambush in Mozambique
FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]
People from Macomia, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, told Lusa on Thursday of intense gunfire and fear in the bush around the village of Mucojo, 40 kilometres from the district headquarters, which were attacked a fortnight ago.
The situation mainly affects the farmers in the production areas of Nambine and Namigure, just over 10 kilometres from Mucojo, who since the invasion by around a hundred insurgents of the main town of Macomia have witnessed daily gunfire in the bush.
“It’s not easy, every day we hear gunfire in the Mucojo area. I don’t have any bags to quickly bag the maize, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it all out,” Dorteia Jerónimo, 40, a farmer and mother of four, who depends on this agricultural production for food, told Lusa.
The villagers don’t know the source of the intense and continuous gunfire, but they fear having to leave the fields.
“It’s a possibility, we’re scared, the people don’t know if it’s our Defence and Security Forces or if it’s the rebels, what is certain is that there have been shootings almost every day in Mucojo,” another farmer told Lusa.
The village of Mucojo is an area considered to be of capital importance for the district and for the province of Cabo Delgado, given its economic potential, characterised above all by fish production.
The attack by insurgent groups on the town of Macomia, one of the biggest in recent months in northern Mozambique, the scene of an armed insurgency, caused almost 1,500 displaced people between 10 and 14 May, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), as well as reports from the public of looting and pillaging of shops and other NGOs.
According to the most recent report by the UN agency, which Lusa previously reported, the “attacks and fear of attacks” by these armed groups led to the flight of more than 530 families from Macomia, totalling 1,461 people registered by the IOM in the places of destination, more than half (57%) of them children.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced on Wednesday that the Non-Governmental Organisation’s (NGO) facilities in Macomia were “looted” during the terrorist attack on the village on 10 May, leading to the suspension of local activities.
“During the attack, MSF’s facilities were looted. All MSF professionals are safe. However, medicines, medical equipment and cars were stolen,” the NGO said in a statement.
It adds that “the attack has forced the organisation to suspend” all its activities in Macomia.
“MSF was providing primary health care services and life-saving activities in its maternity ward and emergency unit for a population of more than 150,000 people. MSF teams also ensured the referral of patients to the nearest hospital in Pemba, a three-hour drive away in a conflict zone,” emphasises the NGO.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed this “terrorist attack” on 10 May, guaranteeing that one of the group’s leaders had been wounded by the Mozambique armed forces (FADM) and another killed.
Subsequently, local sources consulted by Lusa confirmed that at least five bodies were found when residents returned to the community of Macomia, after the insurgent groups left the town – according to some reports with around 100 men – more than 24 hours later.
The attacks also led to the looting of shops in the town, with the insurgents also taking vehicles and motorbikes.
The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, has already confirmed this attack on the district headquarters of Macomia, explaining that it took place in an area previously controlled by the military of the southern African countries’ mission, which is gradually withdrawing until July,
Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
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