Mozambique: Twenty insurgents, four soldiers killed on Matemo island – Lusa

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Mozambique: Twenty insurgents, four soldiers killed on Matemo island – Lusa

8:56 CAT | 23 Mar 2022

Image: Google Maps

The Mozambique Armed Forces(FADM) shot 20 insurgents on the island of Matemo, in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, while four members of the FADM were killed and two insurgents were captured, public television said on Tuesday.

The clashes on the island announced on Thursday night by the authorities lasted three days.

Government forces seized and destroyed six boats allegedly carrying food for insurgent groups during the operations. The search for rebels is ongoing with the Southern African Development Community Military Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

On Friday, preliminary data from the Mozambican police said that several weapons had been seized.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but the area has been terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The conflict has led to more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 859,000 displaced people, according to Mozambican authorities.

Since July, an offensive by government troops with support from Rwanda later joined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) allowed for increased security, recovering several areas where there was the presence of the rebels, which had been occupied since August 2020.

The military action of the joint forces forced the rebel groups to disperse and act in fractions, returning to sporadic attacks in areas reconquered by the Government.

Source: Lusa