– Attacks spread to southern Cabo Delgado after pressure from Rwandan troops in Macomia
– Ancuabe villages also attacked over the weekend
By MOZTIMES
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – Armed insurgent groups attacked the village of Namoro in Montepuez district, Cabo Delgado province, this Saturday, burning houses and abducting residents.
According to local sources, around 4:00 p.m., armed men entered Namoro village, in the Nairoto Administrative Post, and remained there until Sunday morning. Most of the population fled to the district capital of Montepuez, located about 80 km south of the attack site.
The Nairoto region is known for illegal gold mining, which may be linked to the insurgents’ interests. So far, there is no official information regarding fatalities, nor confirmation of a response by the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces.
This is not the first time Nairoto has been targeted by insurgents. The last recorded incident occurred in February 2023, when insurgents destroyed the local Defence and Security Forces position.
Montepuez district is one of Cabo Delgado’s main economic hubs, with significant legal mining activity, particularly ruby extraction.
In recent months, armed attacks had been concentrated in Macomia and the southern part of Mocímboa da Praia, involving raids on villages and the forced displacement of hundreds of civilians.
However, the group has now moved further south. Since the early hours of Friday, 4 April, insurgents have been present in the village of Muaja, in the Meza Administrative Post, Ancuabe district, where they abducted a group of young people and took several hostages.
According to residents, the attack began around 3:00 a.m., and by Sunday, insurgents were still active around the village, generating fear and instability.
Ancuabe district hosts a Rwandan military position deployed under the bilateral agreement to combat terrorism in Cabo Delgado.
The series of attacks in Muaja (Ancuabe district) and Namoro (Montepuez) may indicate a strategic move by insurgents to avoid direct confrontation with foreign forces in the north of the province and to expand their presence into new areas of Cabo Delgado.
The insurgents’ movements followed clashes with Rwandan troops in northern Macomia, during an operation aimed at re-establishing circulation along National Road Number 380 (N380). The intervention by Rwandan forces led to the dismantling of insurgent groups that had set up roadblocks, disrupted vehicle traffic, and abducted a public transporter along the route. (MT)
