Africa-Press – Mozambique. The governor of Cabo Delgado on Thursday warned young people to be wary of dubious job offers shared on social media, to prevent them from being recruited by terrorist groups that have been operating in that province of Mozambique since 2017.
“You need to know how to use technology, you need to understand that not everything you see on social media is beneficial,” said Valige Tauabo during a graduation ceremony for pre-professional internships funded by the Liquefied Natural Gas exploitation project in Cabo Delgado.
Since October 2017, the gas-rich northern province of Mozambique has faced an armed rebellion, with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
According to Governor Tauabo, it is necessary to know how to “decipher and clarify doubts” about these job offers to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to recruitment by extremist groups operating in the province, something he described as a catastrophe.
“We want our young people to be vigilant and continue to maintain this profile we’re experiencing. Lately, we haven’t seen young people volunteering to join the extremist group, nor have they been misled by [job] messages,” he concluded.
Cabo Delgado province has seen a resurgence of attacks by rebel groups since July, with the districts of Chiúre, Muidumbe, Quissanga, Ancuabe, Meluco, and most recently, Mocímboa da Praia being targeted.
The Mozambican government last week deplored the most recent terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, stating that it is the state’s role to pursue, delay, and stop attacks so that the population suffers “as little suffering as possible.”
“We regret this misfortune, but we will not stop at this aspect of mourning. That is why we have committed forces to this end, and details will be provided, if necessary, by the security agencies actually on the ground or by those responsible at the central level,” said the Council of Ministers spokesperson.
Inocêncio Impissa also stated that it is the State’s role to curb the “wave of criminals” in Cabo Delgado, so that new attacks do not occur and the “peace of Mozambicans anywhere in the country” is not jeopardized.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most of them claimed by the Islamic State, a 36% increase over the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution of the US Department of Defence.
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