Mozambican government forces battle rebels in Macomia

Mozambican government forces were involved in clashes with armed men on Wednesday after rebels attempted to invade a military position in Nambini, in the Mucoyo region of Cabo Delgado, local sources said this Friday.

The clashes took place at dawn in the Nambini forests of Nabala community, Mukoyo administrative post, about 20 kilometers from the Macomia district headquarters, sources said.

“We did not sleep well, there were many ambulances that left the headquarters in Macomia, while others came from Pemba. [capital da província de Cabo Delgado]towards Mukoho,” said a source in Macomia.

There is no information about those killed during the fighting, but as a result of the firefight, some of the peasants fled to the district headquarters.

“I don’t know about the deaths, but I saw people fleeing from Nambini and Nabala out of fear of a possible attack. We are in a bad situation, we still have no peace,” another source said.

Popular people told Lusa that the movement of Mozambican troops at the Macomia headquarters had increased since Wednesday.

“There are soldiers walking around everywhere, this is a common thing, but since Wednesday it seems to me that the number of troops has increased, I think it is because of the situation,” another local source said.

Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency, with attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

After months of relative normalcy in the affected areas, the province saw new movements and attacks by insurgent groups a few months ago, restricting traffic at some points on the few paved roads leading to several areas.

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021, supported by Rwanda with more than 2,000 troops and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) liberating areas near natural gas projects.