Africa-Press – Mozambique. People in the district of Quissanga warned on Friday of new movements by the rebel groups that have been terrorising the province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.
Despite not having carried out any attack, armed groups were on Monday seen at a primary school in the village of Mussomero, about six kilometres from the district headquarters of Quissanga, in the north of the province of Cabo Delgado.
“The terrorists arrived here in our village at around 6:00 p.m., in very large numbers, most of them armed, but they didn’t harm anyone,” a local resident told Lusa from Quissanga.
The movement of those groups, continued the source, caused some unrest, leading some village residents to abandon their homes.
“When they [the rebels] noticed some residents fleeing, they asked for no one to run away, stating that they were there to protect the communities and inviting the population to join them,” he added.
Another resident of Quissanga district said that the rebels left the area at around midnight and that there were no clashes with the Defence and Security Forces, which have a position in the district headquarters.
“No one died, fortunately. They say they are on the side of the people and have once again declared war against our military. They say that the military is persecuting them for no reason. I don’t believe it,” another Quissanga resident said.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for six years with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, which has led to a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), freeing districts near gas projects.
After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have in recent weeks been recorded in Cabo Delgado, although locally the authorities suspect that the movement is linked to the pursuit of the rebel groups by the Defence and Security Forces in the districts of Macomia, Quissanga and Muidumbe – those most affected.
The conflict has already displaced one 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.
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