Mozambique: Six years after 1st attack in Mocímboa, insurgency ending – District Administrator

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Mozambique: Six years after 1st attack in Mocímboa, insurgency ending – District Administrator

3:47 CAT | 05 Oct 2023

File photo: VOA Portugues

The administrator of the district of Mocímboa da Praia, the scene six years ago of the first attack by armed groups in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, told Lusa on Wednesday that he believed that the “actions of the terrorists” are in their final phase.

“We consider that these actions are in the final decline phase,” said Sérgio Domingos Cipriano, adding that insurgents’ actions in Mocímboa da Praia are currently characterised by “small movements and small actions”, especially because in recent weeks “the direction of the terrorists was completely dismantled” by the military.

“The Defence and Security Forces and their [foreign] counterparts are on the ground clarifying” the security situation, he added

Mocímboa da Praia was the scene of the first attacks by armed groups carrying out raids in Cabo Delgado on October 5, 2017. The main town of Mocímboa da Praia was the rebels’ headquarters for just over a year, until it was recovered in August, 2021, in a joint action by Mozambican and Rwandan forces.

According to Cipriano, residents of areas taken over by the rebels are returning or seeking to return in cases where they have not yet been so authorized by the competent authorities. Still, he estimates that around 3,000 people who have returned to the district are in need of support.

“The climate of peace is getting closer and closer, and although the direction of the terrorists has been dismantled, there may be weaker resistance,” he however cautions.

Administrator Cipriano also suggested that the insurgents “are desperate and are having a bad time in terms of logistics and leadership”.

He went on the highlight that the tranquillity in Mocímboa da Praia was evident in the fact that the district’s headquarters town is the scene of campaigning for the municipal elections scheduled for October 11th, which will take place in all 65 municipalities in Mozambique, including in Cabo Delgado.

“The population is calm. They are celebrating,” Cipriano stressed.

All political parties are present on the ground, especially the three main political forces in the country, he continued.

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

This insurgency has led to a military response since July, 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects.

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