Deslocados vitimas do terrorrismo em Cabo Delgado, chegados ao Distrito de Mueda a procura de refugio. Foto de Ferhat Momade
Maputo, 16 Feb (AIM) – Attacks by islamist terrorists, aligned with the self-styled “Islamic State” have prompted 812 people to flee in just five days from three districts of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The districts in question are Macomia, Chiúre and Mecufi, which were attacked by terrorists between 8 and 12 February. The attacks have also led to the displacement of people to neighboring villages and resettlement camps.
According to an IOM bulletin, since 22 December 2023, a total of 1,478 families, totalling 10,849 people, have fled their homes in various districts of Cabo Delgado, due to a “series of sporadic attacks and the fear of insurgent groups, who returned at the end of last year.”
“Of the total number of people displaced in five days in February, 47 families took refuge, after journeys on foot, by bus or by canoe, in the displacement centers of Macomia (Nanga A and Nanga B), 35 families in the centres of Chiure (Maningane, Muajaja and Namisir), ten families in the centre of Montepuez (Ntele) and two families in the centre of Metuge (Ngunga)”, reads the bulletin.
The note points out that due to the prevailing security concerns in the region, reported by the displaced families, intentions about the length of their stay in the current displacement sites and host communities remain uncertain.
On the other hand, the NGO Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports that missionaries, priests and other religious personnel are fleeing from remote villages to the provincial capital, Pemba.
Cited in Thursday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Moçambique”, the ACN claims that “several new and simultaneous attacks by armed insurgents are shaking the province of Cabo Delgado.
“The activities of Islamic insurgent groups have intensified in the region, creating an extremely complicated situation and an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. The insurgency in northern Mozambique began in 2017, but has seen an increase in attacks since the beginning of 2024. In the last few days alone, there have been several new attacks on towns and villages, and people have been killed or kidnapped”, the organization says.
Cabo Delgado province has been plagued by terrorist attacks since 2017, which have led to a Mozambican military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and Military Mission in Mozambique of the Southern African Development Community (SAMIM).
The conflict has already displaced a million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
(AIM)
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