Terrorism spreads to Nampula: “We cannot control the displaced.” – DW

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Terrorism spreads to Nampula: “We cannot control the displaced.” – DW

2:24 CAT | 20 Sep 2022

FILE - For illustration purposes only., There is an imminent risk of underage prostitution [File photo: DW]

Organisations face difficulty assisting the displaced in Nampula, victims of attacks in northern Mozambique. Insurgents are attempting to confuse the authorities, taking violence to strategic points, says analyst.

More and more victims of terrorism are arriving in and around the city of Nampula, says Charles Artur, local official at the Episcopal Commission for Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons (CEMIRDE).

The number of displaced people has increased since the last wave of attacks in August, not only in Cabo Delgado but also in Eráti and Memba districts in the extreme north of Nampula province.

“The situation continues to be serious. In addition to the displaced people who came from the province of Cabo Delgado, with the new situation that has occurred, we have ended up receiving a greater number of displaced people who are not yet registered,” says Artur.

The missionary says that one of the main problems for organisations that support the displaced is the fact that they work almost in the dark, without knowing exactly how many people are going to arrive.

“We can’t control the displaced people in our province, nor do we know where they are. The majority are families that gather in one place, and the authorities cannot determine whether they are displaced or not,” he explained.

World Vision, another of the organisations that is assisting the displaced in Nampula, told DW that many NGOs are on “standby” waiting for information from the government on “how” and “where” to intervene.

Human rights violations

So far, Artur says, lack of logistical and financial means has also made the work difficult.

Refs.dw_ — *It is estimated that half of the population affected by the attacks are children and young people.*

“Firstly, the assistance is psychological. We try to involve these people in the work of the Diocese itself and we also provide some humanitarian assistance, like food and straw mats,” he says.

But help has not reached everyone. “There are cases in which young girls end up prostituting themselves order to bring something into their homes. We also recorded cases of children who, at the age of 16, are already married,” he recounts.

It is estimated that half of the population affected by the insurgent attacks are children and young people up to the age of 20, reflecting the country’s age profile.

Altogether, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) points out that more than 800,000 people have fled their homes because of the conflict.

Why were there attacks in Nampula?

Since 2017, the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, rich in natural gas, has been terrorized by armed groups, with some attacks claimed by the radical Islamic State group.

The Mozambican army has been fighting the insurgency, together with international partners, and has managed to free districts next to the gas projects. But the new incursions, especially since August, put the country on high alert again.

“It [terrorism] is there in Nampula province [after it started in Cabo Delgado province]; what is needed is to control it,” President Filipe Nyusi said in early September.

Wilkerd.dw_ — *Wilker Dias says insurgents want to confuse authorities*

For researcher Wilker Dias, the head of state’s warning comes too late. “In my view, intelligence has been failing since the beginning of the conflict in Cabo Delgado, given how long these attacks have persisted. We have the Rwandan troops there, we had the warning in June that Memba would be attacked, but intelligence was unable to forestall it,” he points out.

Dias understands that the insurgents want to confuse the authorities, dispersing and taking the violence to various strategic points. “This move by the terrorists [to Nampula province] serves to put a certain pressure on the capital city of Cabo Delgado [Pemba], where the companies are headquartered,” he explains.

The investigator believes that, now, one of the main objectives of the terrorists is to sabotage gas exploitation on the Coral Sul floating platform, stationed off the shores of Cabo Delgado province.

“We have already had the sabotage of onshore gas exploration, and now we will have the sabotage of exploitation on the high seas. If we don’t put a security cordon around the area where the exploitation of Coral Sul will be centred [Afungi], we run this risk too.”

Source: Deutsche Welle