Terrorists loot Quissanga before leaving

Maputo, 13 Mar (AIM) – Islamist terrorists appear to have left the town of Quissanga, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, after occupying it for about a week, according to a report in Wednesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”.

The jihadists had been in Quissanga town since 3 March, but now appear to have returned, on Sunday or Monday, to their bases in the dense bush of Macomia district.

Local sources told “Mediafax” that the terrorists had left a trail of destruction. “All the houses of the government and its infrastructures were vandalized”, one source said. “They removed the zinc sheeting from the roofs, and took all the mattresses, the computers, the television sets and even the ambulance from the health centre”.

The terrorists stole food and medicines, and used boats to carry away their loot – including the ambulance and even tractors. There was no sign that any units of the Mozambican defence and security forces tried to stop the looting.

During their occupation of Quissanga, the terrorists held meetings with the local population, who had no means of escape.

A delegation from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) found it was unable to visit some of the Cabo Delgado districts hit by recent jihadist attacks

CNDH chairperson Albachir Macassar, cited by Radio Mozambique, said “we were planning to go to Metuge and that was exactly on the day the attack against Metuge took place. The information we’ve had is that the situation is not good at all, mainly because people had been going home, but are now returning to the resettlement centers”.

As for Quissanga, and the island of Quirimba, which had also been occupied by the terrorists, said Macassar, “at the moment, there is a violation of the human rights of the people who are there because they can’t move. There certainly isn’t much food left”.

(AIM)

Pf/ (316)