Africa-Press – Mozambique. The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, on Monday called the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, the country’s northern province, “barbaric acts” and against “human dignity”.
“We are particularly concerned about the barbaric acts of the terrorists in Cabo Delgado against our defenceless brothers and sisters, which constitute an attack on the sovereignty of the country, on the freedom of the Mozambican people and on human dignity,” said Daniel Chapo, speaking in Maputo at the eighth National Religious Conference.
“Mozambique is part of this list of exceptions in which all religions meet, as we are today (…), to discuss the challenges of the religions, but also the challenges of the country,” recognised Chapo, addressing the leaders of the country’s different religious denominations, asking that the Council of Religions serve as a “platform for promoting ethical and moral values, as well as peace, harmonious coexistence and social communion among Mozambican brothers and sisters”.
The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique has been the target of terrorist attacks for eight years, with the first attack recorded on 5 October 2017 in the district of Mocímboa da Praia.
This year, attacks attributed by the authorities to these terrorist groups have already been recorded in the neighbouring provinces of Niassa, in April and May, and Nampula, last week, with 45 houses burnt down.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) counts 6,257 dead after eight years of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, warning of the current instability, with an upsurge in violence.
“The situation is very unstable. In September, the Islamic State of Mozambique (ISM) was active in eleven districts of Cabo Delgado and also crossed into Nampula at the end of the month,” ACLED researcher Peter Bofin told Lusa, referring to the eight years of armed insurgency in the region.
According to Peter Bofin, senior researcher for this organisation that gathers and analyses data on violent conflicts and protests around the world, since October 2017 at least “2,209 events of violence” have been recorded in Cabo Delgado, with “6,257 reported deaths”, at least 2,631 of them civilians.
“Unlike 2021, when it attacked Palma, the group now operates in small, very mobile cells. This allows them to operate across much of the province, a pattern that strains the resources of the security forces. However, there are probably fewer than 400 ISM fighters,” said the researcher.
United Nations agencies reported that almost 22,000 people fled three districts of Cabo Delgado, including Mocímboa da Praia, from 19 to 26 September, due to the upsurge in attacks, which in eight years have caused more than a million displaced people, according to official estimates.
At the end of July, the attacks, including the destruction of dozens of Catholic churches, caused more than 57,000 displaced people in the south of Cabo Delgado province, who fled to the district headquarters of Chiúre.
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