Soldiers have killed 10 terrorists in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province after an attack on Matemo island in the Quirimbas archipelago.
Police spokesperson Ernesto Madungue said the terrorists invaded the island on Wednesday. An air and maritime force was deployed to the area and a fierce clash ensued that lasted a day.
Mr Madungue said unspecified military equipment was seized from the attackers.
Meanwhile, lobby group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday that violence is increasing in northern Mozambique, adding that killings in Cabo Delgado highlighted the need to protect civilians.
“During the first week of March, ASWJ (Al-Sunna wa Jama’a or Al-Shabab) fighters reportedly killed at least 15 civilians in the villages of Mbuidi, Malamba, and Nangõmba, just one kilometre away from Nangade town, the district headquarters,” HRW said in an update.
“The armed conflict between the ASWJ and the Mozambique government has exacerbated already severe food shortages in Cabo Delgado, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. It is one of four Mozambican provinces with the most people experiencing acute food insecurity.”
Since October 2017, Al-Shabab rebels (unrelated to the Somalia-based terror group going by the same name) have attacked numerous villages in Cabo Delgado and destroyed civilian property and infrastructure, including schools and health centres.
An estimated 3,000 people have been killed and 820,000 displaced.
Meanwhile, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is visiting Mozambique, said that in addition to military training, Lisbon will re-equip the country’s army to fight terrorism.
The pledge came after his Mozambique counterpart Filipe Nyusi asked for help to fight the insurgents during a meeting held in Maputo.
President Nyusi told reporters in Maputo on Thursday that he had asked President Rebelo de Sousa for help. BY DAILY NATION