Daesh said nine Mozambican army soldiers and an unspecified number of “Christians” were killed in an attack on a village in Macomia, Cabo Delgado province.
Through its propaganda channels, Daesh said the attack took place last Monday, February 5, in the town of Chai, the center of the Macomia district, which has been the target of other violent incursions in recent weeks.
The terrorist group’s report also said that they set fire to houses and vehicles in this “Christian village”, seizing weapons left behind by the military.
Lusa was unable to confirm the veracity of this statement with the Mozambican authorities, but on the same propaganda channel the terrorist group claims to be expanding its activities, even claiming to have machine-gunned a Mozambican naval patrol off the coast of Macomia. February 2.
Macomia District Administrator Tomas Badae today confirmed that rebel groups operating in Cabo Delgado province attacked Defense and Security Forces (DSF) positions in the district.
The attack took place between Friday evening and Saturday morning, from 23:00 to 3:00 (21:00 and 1:00 in Lisbon) at the administrative post of Mucoyo, 45 kilometers from the headquarters of the Macomia district: “Yes, they occupied position and they robbed it, but we have no further information as to whether they are still there or have already left.”
Since the attack, communication with Mukoyo has been lost.
“There are communication problems in Mukoyo, so it is difficult to say whether they persist or not,” Thomas Badae emphasized, without providing details.
Reports from local residents report several Mozambican military casualties, but without confirmation from authorities or a public statement from the terrorist group about it.
However, the confrontation forced some people to leave their production fields.
“Terrorists are killing and the situation is getting more and more difficult,” a Macomia source complained to Lusa.
On Saturday morning, rebels attacked the Lithamanda community, also in Macomia, where they killed a 19-year-old girl, according to local sources.
“There’s a very small number of people living there in Lithamanda and I think that’s why they came in. A young woman was found dead nearby,” a source close to the victim told Lusa.
The situation caused panic among residents, some of whom decided to leave the village and take refuge in the nearby village of Chai, where military positions are located.
The village of Lithamanda borders the Muidumbe district.
Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency for six years, with Daesh claiming responsibility for some attacks, leading to a military response from July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating the areas. close to gas projects.
After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have been recorded in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, although local authorities suspect the movement is linked to a crackdown carried out by defense and security forces in the districts of Macomia, Quisanga and Muidumbe. , among the hardest hit.
The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and nearly four thousand people have died, according to the ACLED Conflict Recording Project.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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