Africa-Press – Mozambique. A group of Islamist terrorists has been setting up barricades and charging illegal fees to drivers along the roads of Muidumbe district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
According to sources, cited by the Portuguese News Agency (Lusa), the terrorists on Friday closed the National Road 380 (N380) on the stretch between Xitaxi and Chitunda, in Muidumbe district.
“We were traveling to Muidumbe and almost in Chitunda we saw a group of terrorists who stopped by the road and started searching each car and charging 10,000 meticais (150 dollars at the current exchange rate) for every three people”, said one of the victims.
According to the source, at least 30 people were victims of extortion by the insurgents, and some contributions were made by family members to prevent kidnappings.
“There were at least 30 of us. We all paid and thank God we reached our destination”, another source said.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), terrorism has forced, in recent months, the displacement of about 300,000 people in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula.
Since 2017, violent extremist attacks have been taking place in Cabo Delgado, where at least 6,200 people have been killed and over one million displaced.
However, the violence has been tending to spread to other regions, especially in Nampula. Recent attacks against Memba district give a clear indication that the jihadists are moving southwards, into the coastal districts of Nampula province.
