Mozambique: The FDS forced rebels out of Mocímboa da Praia after Sunday attack – District Administrator

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Mozambique: The FDS forced rebels out of Mocímboa da Praia after Sunday attack – District Administrator

2:20 CAT | 09 Sep 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: New Times Rwanda]

The Mozambican defence and security forces have already expelled the alleged terrorists who attacked the town of Mocímboa da Praia, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, on Sunday, killing four people, local authorities said.

“It was them [the FDS] who expelled the enemy; otherwise, they might have remained in the town. Then, the force realized it, and all the young people rushed there, united, from one side to the other, and began to break through and open fire. That’s when the insurgents fled,” Mocímboa da Praia district administrator Sérgio Cipriano told the media.

At least four people were killed and a vehicle was set on fire after suspected terrorists opened fire on the town headquarters of Mocímboa da Praia, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, local sources told Lusa.

According to the sources, the attack occurred at around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, the Victory Day public holiday in Mozambique, after suspected terrorists opened fire indiscriminately on civilians in the Filipe Nyusi neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the Vila-Sede of Mocímboa da Praia district.

The district administrator confirmed the four deaths, stating that order has now been restored in the area, with Mozambican authorities pursuing the terrorists suspected of attacking the town.

READ: Mozambique: Terrorists kill six in Mocimboa da Praia – AIM

Cabo Delgado province has seen a resurgence of attacks by rebel groups since July, with the districts of Chiúre, Muidumbe, Quissanga, Ancuabe, Meluco and, most recently, Mocímboa da Praia being targeted.

On Monday, Lusa also reported that at least six people were killed and farmland looted during an attack by suspected terrorists in Muidumbe district on Saturday.

According to local sources, local farmers were surprised by rebels in broad daylight on Saturday while working in Lipélwa, part of Muidumbe.

At least 29 people died and another 208,000 were affected in July by attacks by extremist groups in districts of Cabo Delgado, a Mozambican province that has been facing an armed insurgency since 2017, a UN agency reported on Friday.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, a 36% increase over the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the U.S. Department of Defence.

Insurgents attacked #Mocimboa da Praia last night, the 7th, killing at least 6 people, including 2 police officers & a teacher (apparently, all Makonde). They entered in a Mahindra (police car) that they abandoned in bairro 30 de Junho. UIR men have already recovered it. pic.twitter.com/NsiOz6MdI3

— Cabo Delgado (@DelgadoCabo) September 8, 2025

This date is not insignificant for the insurgents. Almost eight years ago, on October 5, 2017, these men attacked police stations in Mocimboa da Praia to steal weapons before returning to the forests. This is how the armed insurrection in Cabo Delgado began… https://t.co/jcy0jJeuqN pic.twitter.com/nLklGVwi2B

— Cabo Delgado (@DelgadoCabo) September 8, 2025