Mozambique. Rebels attack FDS position in Macomia – Lusa

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Mozambique. Rebels attack FDS position in Macomia – Lusa

3:57 CAT | 12 Feb 2024

File photo: TVM

Rebel groups terrorizing the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado attacked a position of the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (FDS) in the district of Macomia.

The attack on the FDS position took place between Friday night and Saturday morning, between 23:00 and 03:00 ), in the administrative post of Mucojo, 45 kilometers from district headquarters of Macomia, in the central region of the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, the district administrator, Tomas Badae, told local media.

“Yes, they took over the position and stormed it, but we have no further information as to whether they are still there or have already abandoned it,” said Tomas Badae, administrator of Macomia.

Since the attack occurred, communication with Mucojo has been interrupted.

“There are communication problems in Mucojo, so it is difficult to say whether they are still there or not”, he stressed, without further details.

Reports from local residents to the press indicate several casualties among the Mozambican military, but there is still no confirmation from the authorities.

The confrontations led some people to abandon their agricultural fields.

“Terrorists are killing and the situation is increasingly difficult”, a source from Macomia lamented, in statements to Lusa.

On Saturday morning, the rebels attacked the community of Litamanda, also in Macomia, where, according to local sources, they killed a 19-year-old girl.

“Litamanda has a very small number of people living there and, I think, that’s why they entered. The young woman was found dead nearby,” a source close to the victim told Lusa.

The situation generated panic among residents, some of whom decided to leave the village to take refuge in the neighboring community of Chai, where they have a military position.

The village of Litamanda borders the district of Muidumbe.

Cabo Delgado province has been facing an armed insurgency for six years, with attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, 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 gas projects.

After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have been recorded in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, although the local authorities suspect that the movement is linked to the persecution imposed by the defence and security forces in the districts of Macomia, Quissanga and Muidumbe, among the most affected.

The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Source: Lusa