Africa-Press – Mozambique. Residents of the town of Macomia, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, have found the body of a man allegedly killed in an insurgent attack on the town last week, adding to the four other dead, local sources told Lusa on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the man’s body was found by people on Tuesday, in the agricultural production area, almost 10 kilometres from the centre of the town of Macomia.
“We started searching since Saturday, the day after the rebel attack on our village, but unfortunately yesterday [Tuesday] morning we found the body in the production area,” described the victim’s son from Macomia.
The man was captured by the terrorists on Friday 10 May during the attack by the insurgents, who entered the village firing indiscriminately.
“He was captured by the terrorists, in the presence of his son, when they were trying to escape from them. They let the boy go and a few metres away we heard screams, they had already killed him,” described another family member.
The attack on the village of Macomia resulted in at least four deaths, according to popular reports, as well as the looting of shops and vehicles, which were taken to an unknown location.
On the 10th, the Ministry of National Defence confirmed a “terrorist attack” on the town of Macomia in the early hours of the morning, guaranteeing that one of the group’s leaders was wounded by the Mozambique armed forces (FADM) and another killed.
“The attack lasted around 45 minutes and the terrorists were promptly repelled by the coordinated action of our forces, which forced the enemy to retreat, towards the interior of the Mucojo administrative post,” it said in a statement.
The ministry added that the attack took place at around 04:45 local time (03:45 in Lisbon) and that, in the “confrontation”, the FADM “captured a terrorist and wounded one of the leaders, known as ‘Issa’, who managed to escape, with no deaths or injuries reported by the Armed Forces”.
“Subsequently, the captured terrorist lost his life as a result of serious injuries,” he said.
The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, had already confirmed the attack on the Macomia district headquarters late on Friday morning, explaining that it took place in an area previously controlled by the military of the southern African countries’ mission, which is gradually withdrawing until July.
“It’s true that it’s an area occupied by our brothers who support us, who are in retreat. But those on the ground are 100% Mozambicans. Perhaps there could be a reinforcement (…). As they’re leaving, I hope we’ll be able to organise ourselves better, because the time of transition allows that,” he acknowledged, praising the ongoing intervention by the Mozambican military.
Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
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