Rebel incursions plaguing Cabo Delgado since 2017 have led to the temporary closure of 157 schools out of 978 in the province, according to the director of the provincial education department.
The Ciure region, hit by a new wave of attacks in recent weeks, has the highest number of closed schools (40), followed by Macomia with 35 institutions, Ivaldo Quincardete said, as quoted by Radio Mozambique.
“Currently there are 821 schools. The area that is receiving the most attention at the moment is Cure and we believe that very soon these schools will resume work or most of them will be able to resume work,” said the director of the provincial education department. .
A new wave of attacks south of Cabo Delgado has forced thousands of people from their villages, mainly in Chiura, but authorities say there is improvement, with the number of displaced people rising from 67,000 to 45,000, according to Mozambique. Prime Minister Adriano Maleiani.
“The priority now is to accommodate people. This is what is being done. It was supposed to be a very big event, in one fell swoop, to welcome people. Some people are in schools, others in tents, but we must give them something to feed,” Adriano Maleian told the media this Monday in Maputo.
The people who fled as part of this new wave are mainly residents of Mazese, Chiure Velho, Mahipa, Alaki, Nakoya B and Nakussa, mainly in the hinterland of Chiore, where thousands of people fled their villages after traveling kilometers along National Road 1. ( N1) towards the headquarters of Chiore or across the Lurio River to the Erati region in the province of Nampula, neighboring Cabo Delgado.
Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency for six years, with the extremist group Daesh claiming responsibility for some attacks.
The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021, backed by 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.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one million people have already been displaced by the conflict, and according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED, its acronym in English) about four thousand people died.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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