No great resistance to the retaking of Mocimboa

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No great resistance to the retaking of Mocimboa

3:14 CAT | 11 Aug 2021

Photo: O País

Army commander Cristóvão Chume said in an interview with Mozambique Television in Mocimboa da Praia that the recovery of the town did not entail large-scale military confrontations with the terrorists occupying it, which indicated that they withdrew in advance, with only a few shots being recorded in some peripheral districts.

For this reason, there have been no casualties or injuries on either side.

The FADM leader took the opportunity to release more details of the operation that started almost three weeks ago and that allowed the neutralisation of enemy outposts in Awasse and Diaca, both in Mocimboa da Praia district.

After taking control of Awasse and Diaca , the joint Mozambican-Rwandan force planned the final assault that allowed the town of Mocimboa da Praia to be retaken.

Four axes of simultaneous intervention were defined. The first would be by sea, with the main objective of retaking the port, a mission handed over to the FADM navy. Also by sea, a platoon of FADM Marines had the mission of disembarking south of the port to control the town by land. These two forces managed to reach their objectives, one at 7:00 a.m. and the other at 9:00 a.m., Commander Chume reported.

The other two axes were in the charge of the Rwandan troops, with one group assigned the mission of entering Mocimboa da Praia from Palma – that is, from the north – and the other from the south (Awasse). These two teams attained their goal of retaking the airport at around 11:00 a.m..

From this point in time, the military forces of both countries engaged in what is called “cleaning” of the terrain, that is, the neutralising of small pockets of resistance in the district in order to create security conditions for the gradual return to normality and the return of residents who, in recent months, had completely abandoned the town.

Inside the town, the scene is one of total destruction regarding the main infrastructure buildings, the airport terminal, the machinery that ensures the normal functioning of the port and the buildings where public and private institutions operated.

To heal the scars left by the insurgents’ actions, Mocimboa da Praia will have to be rebuilt.

By Francisco Mandalate

Source: O País