Armed groups this morning attacked
the district headquarters town of Quissanga in Cabo Delgado, northern
Mozambique, causing widespread population flight, residents report. This is the
second invasion of a town by the movement that has been terrorising the region
for two and a half years. On Monday, it occupied Mocímboa da Praia, one of the
province’s main urban centres, leaving a number of victims and damages yet to
be determined. Mocímboa da Praia is about 90 kilometres south of the natural
gas megaprojects under development in the region, while Quissanga is 200
kilometres south, closer to the provincial capital, Pemba. Since the early
hours of today, part of the coastal town’s population has been fleeing by boat
and on foot to the Quirimbas archipelago, namely to the island of Ibo, 14
kilometres away, while other people are attempting the 100 km journey to Pemba
on foot. At low tide, it is possible to walk through the mangrove all the way
from Quissanga to Ibo island – and it is there that many people are seeking
refuge. According to one report, there is smoke over the village, suggesting
that infrastructure is being set on fire.
There is no mention of victims,
residents having fled at the first signs of invasion, after hearing gunshots in
the upper part of the town, near the administration buildings. Some families
have lost contact with children in the rush to the boats this morning. One
woman told Lusa that she does not know the whereabouts of a nephew who was in
her care, and can only hope that he fled to safety too.
Some residents started to leave the town
on Tuesday, others say.
The Quissanga region had already been
attacked in late January, when part of the Instituto Agrário de Bilibiza, which
is managed by the Aga Khan Foundation, was destroyed.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been
the target of attacks by armed groups that international organizations classify
as a terrorist threat, and which in two and a half years have already killed at
least 350 people in addition to forcing 156,400 to abandon their homes and land
in search of safety.
The wave of violence was born in
radicalised Muslim communities, whose groups have never indicated a leader or
made any claims, except for communiqués from the ‘jihadist’ Islamic State
group, whose presence on the ground experts and authorities do not consider
credible. In January, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said that Mozambique
would need the help of other organisations to end the armed attacks in the
North. “We need co-participation, because this is a multinational problem, so
its solution will not depend only on Mozambique, but we are working [on it],”
he said then. The international community has indicated willingness to help,
but no formal cooperation has yet been realized, and the violence continues.
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