By MOZTIMES
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – Insurgents killed eighteen members of the Naparama community defence militia in an ambush on Monday, 28 July, in the village of Melija, Samora Machel locality, Ocua Administrative Post, Chiúre district, Cabo Delgado. The attack is among the deadliest recorded in the region in recent months.
Local sources told MOZTIMES that the militia group, originally from Catapua Administrative Post, had travelled to support fellow fighters in the Ocua area. On their way back, they were ambushed by insurgents dressed in Mozambican Defence and Armed Forces (FADM) uniforms, who opened fire, killing eighteen and injuring two. The wounded were taken to Chiúre District Hospital for treatment.
According to survivors, the operation aimed to halt the insurgents’ advance to other parts of the district, at a time when villages continue to suffer attacks, destruction of property and mass displacement, with no effective response from the government's Defence and Security Forces.
Another group of Naparama fighters, based in Namuno, the movement’s main stronghold, was later mobilised to recover the bodies of the victims.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killings on Wednesday through a statement shared on its propaganda channels, saying that “the soldiers of the caliphate attacked the local apostate militias the day before yesterday, in the village of Melija, using various weapons, resulting in the death of 18 members, the burning of dozens of homes, and the destruction of their motorbikes”.
Since the large-scale attack in Chiúre Velho last Thursday, there has still been no effective response from government forces, prolonging the sense of insecurity among local communities. (MT)
