- This is the second attack on civilian vessels by Mozambican forces in less than two months.
By MOZTIMES
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – Mozambique’s Navy is accused of killing civilians travelling on a sailing boat on Friday morning (22 August) off the coast between Macomia and Ibo districts, in Cabo Delgado province.
The exact number of fatalities remains unclear, but some sources report that between five and seven men were killed.
A source who knew one of the victims told MOZTIMES the vessel left Mefunvo Island early Friday morning bound for Mahate village, in Quissanga, where it loaded more than 200 bags of salt. Its destination was Pangane, Macomia, a coastal town receiving many returnees, mainly fishermen and informal fish traders.
“The boat left Mefunvo for Mahate to load salt for Pangane. But it never arrived, because between Matemo and Pangane, men, probably soldiers from Ibo, attacked the vessel,” the source said, without confirming the death toll.
Another source told MOZTIMES that Navy troops had left Ibo district headquarters after being informed by authorities of a boat allegedly hijacked by insurgents and carrying food supplies from a village called Mussemuko.
Soldiers fired on the boat’s occupants without verifying the report and later pulled back, witnesses told MOZTIMES.
Some bodies were later found by fishermen along the shore between Goludo and Crimize villages, at the southern end of Mucojo administrative post. Residents of Goludo eventually buried the victims.
This is the second time in about a month that the Navy has been accused of killing civilians travelling by boat in the same area. A similar incident was reported in July, but a spokesperson for the Mozambican Armed Defence Forces did not confirm it, merely promising an investigation.
Insurgents often exploit violence by the Defence and Security Forces against civilians to justify their actions, portraying themselves as defenders of Muslim communities abused by government troops.
MOZTIMES has also established that insurgent groups from inland Quissanga have recently moved along the coast stretch between Ibo and Macomia. These groups reportedly forced local sailors to transport them towards the banks of the Messalo River in northern Cabo Delgado. (MT)
