- Unconfirmed reports point to at least three Rwandan soldiers killed at the scene
- Road traffic on the N380 has been suspended since Sunday following the insurgent attack
By MOZTIMES
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – An intense clash took place on Tuesday morning involving Rwandan troops, Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces and members of the ethnic militia known as the Local Force, who are attempting to dislodge Islamic State backed insurgents from villages along National Road Number 380 (N380), where an attack was carried out on Sunday against a convoy of vehicles under military escort.
According to local sources, the fighting is taking place between the villages of Nova Zambézia and V Congresso, in Macomia district. Government forces are seeking to regain control of the area and reopen the road to traffic. The road has been closed since Sunday following the attack on the escorted convoy.
A military source in Macomia town said that Tuesday’s fighting left several dead and wounded on both sides. Among the dead are reportedly at least three members of the Rwanda Defence Forces, according to the same source.
The mobilisation of the joint forces followed the attack on 22 February, which halted traffic along the Macomia–Oasse stretch of the road. “Some of the vehicles that were part of the convoy remain stranded halfway along the route, some with punctured tyres,” the same military source said.
Since Sunday’s attack, regular clashes have been reported in the area. However, Tuesday’s fighting has been described as “more intense than that recorded on Sunday and Monday”.
A hospital source at the Macomia Health Centre told MOZTIMES on Tuesday afternoon that the facility had received several wounded from the fighting in the V Congresso area, but did not confirm the arrival of bodies of dead soldiers. The source added that Rwandan troops have their own clinics for treating their wounded personnel.
“We have information that Rwandan soldiers lost their lives today in clashes, and at the hospital, I personally saw a member of the UIR (the Mozambican riot police) receiving treatment. He has a bullet lodged in his body that could not be removed and will be transferred to Pemba,” said a nurse working at the Macomia Health Centre.
A military source who was part of the escort of the convoy attacked on Sunday told MOZTIMES that, after the ambush, there was an intense exchange of gunfire between insurgents and Rwandan forces for several hours, while passengers abandoned the vehicles and spent the night on the ground.
Several people, both civilians and military personnel, were reportedly rescued by the defence forces and transported to the rural hospital in the town of Mueda, which hosts the Northern Operational Theatre Command.
While waiting for military reinforcements to arrive at the scene, insurgents looted goods transported in the attacked lorries.
“Among the vehicles were two lorries bearing the inscription ‘Mangas’, belonging to businessman Issa Neru, from Mocímboa da Praia. Another lorry belongs to businessman Mussa Daima, from Nangade. All were completely looted,” a military source said.
According to military sources, the V Congresso area hosts an active insurgent cell that collects illegal levies from motorists using the N380 in order to finance its activities.
When vehicles travel under military escort, insurgents attack them with the aim of looting goods. The last major attack was recorded in December in the same area. (MT)
