Africa-Press – Mozambique. The governor of Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, said on Friday that the return of people who fled Mocímboa da Praia due to armed violence was “complex”, recalling that the town was home to most of the “terrorist bases”.
“Most of the bases where these terrorists were preparing are all in Mocímboa da Praia, and so the work is still in progress. We cannot yet advise the population to return,” Valige Tauabo told Lusa on the sidelines of the inauguration of an electricity grid system in the administrative post of Ncumpe, in Namuno district, Cabo Delgado province.
In total, according to official figures, around 62,000 people, almost the entire population, have left the coastal town due to the conflict over the last four years, with emphasis on the mass escapes that occurred after the intensification of rebel actions in June 2020.
After more than a year in the “hands” of rebels, Mocímboa da Praia, one of the few urban areas in Cabo Delgado province, was looted, and almost all the public and private infrastructure was destroyed, as well as the energy, water, communications and hospital systems.
The offensive by government troops gained momentum in July last year, with the support of forces from Rwanda and later the Southern African Development Community (SADC), allowing for increased security and the recovery of several areas.
According to the governor of Cabo Delgado, government forces are deploying in operations to ensure stability in Mocímboa da Praia and the priority is to find the leaders of the armed groups.
“The leaders of these groups are gradually being neutralised,” Tauabo said, stressing that the return of the population in Mocímboa da Praia depends on the creation of safe conditions.
The coastal town was the first to be attacked by armed groups operating in Cabo Delgado in October 2017 and was for a long time described as the rebels’ “base”.
Mocímboa da Praia is located 70 kilometres south of the construction area of the natural gas exploration project in Afungi, Palma, led by several international oil companies and led by Total.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but has been terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The conflict has led to more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 817,000 displaced people, according to Mozambican authorities.
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