Manhiça, 18 Sep (AIM) – A group of Islamist terrorists burned down at least 11 hectares of farmland in the lowlands of Lutete village, Miudume district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
According to local sources, the fire broke out in the fields on Monday, forcing local formers to flee. The area was planted with bananas, sugar cane and sesame.
“They burnt a lot of things. It’s sad because it’s a source of income that many families have lost, and this could lead to famine”, noted said, cited by the Portuguese News Agency (LUSA). The farmers now fear a period of famine.
Whilst regional authorities have already indicated they will deploy the communal militia to bolster security.
The province of Cabo Delgado, which is rich in natural gas, has been facing an armed insurgency since October 2017 by groups associated with Islamic State, which has resulted in more than 6,600 deaths and 1.2 million displaced people, according to figures from international organizations.
The neighboring provinces of Niassa and Nampula have also been experiencing incursions by these groups since April last year.
Recently, the terrorists claimed the attack that forced the displacement of over 2,700 people in Marrupa district, in the southern boundary of Niassa Special Reserve. During the attack, the terrorists burned down all the lodge’s facilities and stole 15 vehicles from the Marangira hunting concession.
This was the second known major terrorist attack against Niassa Province. In 2025 June, the terrorists destroyed the facilities of the Kambako hunting ground, one of the hunting areas in the Niassa Special Reserve, not far from the Cabo Delgado’s districts of Meluco, Montepuez and Mueda. During the invasion, the terrorists also took an unspecified number of people hostage.
Am/
