Mozambique: Terrorists attack five Cabo Delgado villages

MAPUTO, Mozambique

Several villages in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado came under renewed attack by islamist terrorists over the past week, according to a report in Monday’s issue of the independent newssheet, “Mediafax”.

The Nova Zambezia village in Macomia district was raided on Wednesday, and on Thursday Mitambo, in Meluco district, was attacked. At least one person was beheaded in Nova Zambezia and one in Mitambo.

The jihadists attacked Iba, also in Meluco, on Friday. They killed at least six people, burnt down homes and looted property. The same group moved on to attack Muiaguide village, where they murdered at least eight people.

Survivors fled from Iba and Muiaguide on Saturday and Sunday, and sought shelter in Macomia town. The head of the Iba administrative post was one of these displaced people, and he told “Mediafax” he had counted 12 bodies of the terrorists’ victims,

He also denounced “the lack of intervention and reaction by the defence and security forces”, although Iba is only 13 kilometres from Macomia town where military units are stationed.

Meanwhile Mozambican and Rwandan forces are reported to have killed two terrorists whom they ambushed in the area of Nankidunga, about six kilometres from the Mocimboa da Praia district capital.

One of the dead terrorists was identified as a Tanzanian citizen named Twahili Mwidini, who usually operated in Macomia. Two AK-47 assault rifles were recovered from the bodies.

In the neighbouring province of Niassa, the local police command has denied that the armed group that attacked a minibus in Maua district on Friday has anything to do with the Cabo Delgado terrorists. They said the minibus was ambushed “by a group of criminals”, who are now being pursued by the defence and security forces,

There were two masked attackers, one armed with an AK-47 and the other with a machete. They murdered the driver of the minibus and injured two of the passengers. They stole about 800,000 meticais (12,500 US dollars, at the current exchange rate) and various other possessions of the passengers.