Residents of the village of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique found a decapitated body on Friday near the village, in an area dominated by clashes with extremist rebels.
“We found a body with a decapitated head in the forest of the village of Primeiro de Mayo, but we do not know who is the author of the crime,” said the 51-year-old man, who lives in Miangaleva, Muidumbe district. who reported the discovery made at 16:00 (15:00 in Lisbon).
The victim “is an elderly gentleman and we think he is a fisherman because the crime took place near the road leading to Lake Nguri,” he added.
The lake is more than 30 kilometers from Miangaleva and is once again frequented by residents who have returned to their homes thanks to improved security conditions in the region.
However, in some cases, there continue to be reports of clashes with rebel groups, as happened a month ago near Miangaleva, meaning that no one stayed overnight in places like the lake.
Another source said the discovery of the body could increase some families’ uncertainty about staying on the lands they returned to, as most of them depend on agriculture and fishing and fear of extremist groups still lives on.
“We are afraid: how will we live if we cannot go to the lake,” he asked.
A source in the local forces, the name given to the government-backed militias, confirmed the find but did not say if the body was from a Miangaleva resident, let alone a fisherman.
“I don’t know if the found body belongs to someone from here, but we are going to step up patrols,” he said.
In April, the armed forces thwarted a rebel incursion into Miangaleva, while some residents were two months old from their return.
The city is on the banks of the Messalo River, bordering the Macomia District through the village of Lithamanda, along National Road No. 380, one of the few paved roads in the province, connecting the rest of the country to areas further north. for example, Mocimboa da Praia, Palma, Mueda and Nangade.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years now, with the Islamic State extremist group claiming responsibility for some attacks.
The insurgency has led to military retaliation since July 2021, with the support of Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating areas near gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged in the south of the region and in the neighboring province. from Nampula.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the conflict has already displaced one million people and killed about 4,000 people, according to the ACLED Conflict Registration Project.