Nampula province: Police deny terrorist attack, but confirm high alert

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Nampula province: Police deny terrorist attack, but confirm high alert

3:02 CAT | 04 Jul 2022

Secretary of State of Nampula, Mety Gondola, visiting Memba

Police authorities in Nampula deny rumours of an alleged incursion in Memba this month, but say they are on high alert and prepared to halt any attempted attack. The government insists that Nampula province remains stable.

On June 17, local press in Nampula published reports of a terrorist attack in the village of Sirissa, Lúrio administrative post, Memba district, but the police say the reported attack was only a rumour.

“Residents suspected that terrorists had entered the area [in Sirissa], frightening some members of the population into fleeing,” police spokesman Zacarias Nacute explained.

“The police arrived at the scene to ensure that any situation that might arise would draw a prompt response, but it turned out that there was no attack.”

Respond promptly

Zacarias Nacute said the police were ready to prevent and stop any attempted terrorist incursion in Nampula.

“Right now, the Defence and Security Forces are continuing their work of preventing [terrorist activity] and searching for information to ensure that, in the event of an attempted attack, our area of jurisdiction would see a prompt response from the police authorities,” Nacute said.

Despite the fear of terrorist attacks, the government says that the province is “relatively stable”.

“We say relatively stable because, at the moment, we have guaranteed freedom of movement of people and goods, where economic, political and social activity continues to be carried out,” Secretary of State of Nampula, Mety Gondola, said.

“We are attentive to the movement of terrorists and attempts to destabilize the country,” he stressed.

Work for security

Mety Gondola confirmed that there was no attack on Memba and gave assurances that measures to guarantee the safety of the communities in the province were being taken.

“We are ready to respond to any situation, of whatever size, that may arise in our province. We will do everything, every time, to ensure stability and provide security for our population,” he insisted.

The province continues to receive people displaced from Cabo Delgado districts by the unrest.

Without recording an interview, National Institute for Risk Management and Disaster Reduction (INGD) regional delegate Alberto Armando stressed that the institution was providing support to these people, but without giving detailed figures.

Source: Deutsche Welle