By MOZTIMES
Pemba (MOZTIMES) – Insurgents killed three people in raids on villages in Macomia district, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, last week.
The attacks were recorded in the villages of Nkoe and Nguida on 10 and 12 April, marking a new cycle of violence against civilians after about a month of relative calm.
According to local sources, the first raid took place on 10 April in Nkoe, around midday, when insurgents surrounded the village, which was almost empty as residents had been warned of the attackers’ approach. The only person who failed to flee was tortured, killed and beheaded.
In Nkoe, the insurgents also looted various food supplies from the population.
On Sunday 12 April, insurgents entered the village of Nguida, where, following reports of their presence in Nkoe, part of the population had already fled to the district capital, Macomia town.
Meanwhile, insurgents in the area intercepted three teenage boys while they were hunting using traditional traps. After a series of questions, one of them was beheaded and the other two were kidnapped. The following day, a second hunter was also killed, while the third was released with instructions to warn the village that insurgents could attack at any moment, a local resident said.
These incursions forced the displacement of people from several villages, including Nguida and Liukwe, which border on Nkoe. On Tuesday afternoon, several other families fled the villages of Licangano and Onumoz following reports of insurgents approaching. These villages are located between 7 and 10 kilometres from Macomia town.
“There are many people who have arrived in the Xinavane neighbourhood (part of Macomia town) since this afternoon. These men were seen between Nguida and the village of Chicomo. So people were afraid and left for the town,” said a resident of Macomia.
Macomia district has been the epicentre of insurgent activity and is believed to host the group’s main bases. Various government forces are deployed on the ground to combat the insurgency, including the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM), their allies of the Rwandan armed forces, the police Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR), and the Local Force militia. Even so, insurgents are continuing to move with relative ease. (MT)
