Mozambique: President calls on people not to ‘panic’ as fleeing rebels attack – Lusa

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Mozambique: President calls on people not to ‘panic’ as fleeing rebels attack – Lusa

7:00 CAT | 17 Dec 2021

Photo: President Filipe Nyusi Facebook

Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, on Thursday called on Mozambicans not to “panic” in the face of what he admitted were “expanding pockets” of activity by armed groups fleeing a military offensive in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where they had previously been concentrated.

“There are times when I [prefer the] call not to panic; when there is a situation, I prefer to face it and not to agitate,” Nyusi said.

The head of state was speaking in parliament on the general situation in the country, in the part focussed on what he called “terrorism” in the north of the country.

Last week, the commander-general of the national police force, Bernardino Rafael, acknowledged that armed groups had recently attacked vehicles carrying officers and civilians in Niassa, a province neighbouring Cabo Delgado.

In his speech in parliament, Nyusi said that the armed groups operating in Cabo Delgado were fleeing “in any direction” because they were under pressure from the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FDS) and military personnel from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda who have been helping them.

“Terrorism has no barracks; the bases identified [of the armed groups] have for the most part been deactivated,” he said. “At this moment, pursuit actions are continuing.”

The “joint and combined” offensive had, he added, resulted in the death of 200 fighters from armed groups and the capture of 245, as well as seizing various items of military equipment.

Nyusi stressed that those “put out of combat include commanders and ideological extremists” of the armed groups.

The president noted that the number of rebel attacks had fallen to 52 this year from 160 last as a result of the military pressure.

“We have been able not only to contain, but to reduce terrorist actions by a factor of three,” he said.

Nyusi pointed out that the rebel attacks had resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 people and the forced flight of more than 817,000 since their outbreak in October, 2017.

Cabo Delgado province, which is rich in natural gas, has been terrorised since that then by armed rebels, with responsibility for some attacks claimed by the local affiliate of the extremist group Islamic State.

The conflict has led to deaths of more than 3,100 people, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and displaced more than 817,000, according to national authorities.

Source: Lusa