At least two lorries were set on fire by suspected terrorists in the village of Nsanja, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, Lusa learnt at the scene.
The two heavy vehicles were burnt between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, on the stretch between Nsanja and Muaja, in the Ancuabe district, along the National Road (N14), on the route to Montepuez, following the presence of groups of alleged terrorists at the scene.
‘The situation is bad, the road has been blocked since 3pm yesterday,’ a source in Ancuabe told Lusa.
The lorries loaded with food and wood were surprised by the presence of the rebels, who demanded payment of money to continue their journey, through an improvised toll gate set up on Saturday.
‘Yesterday they were charging, at least eight cars were charged,’ said the source.
Car traffic on the road has been interrupted since Saturday and only resumed on Sunday morning, with the presence of military personnel from Rwanda, who are supporting the Mozambican armed forces in the fight against terrorist groups operating in Cabo Delgado, Lusa also learnt at the scene.
Lusa had already reported on Saturday that alleged terrorists had set up a toll gate on National Road 14.
According to the sources, the gate was set up in the Ancuabe district at around 3.30pm local time (2.30pm in Lisbon), and drivers of several vehicles were intercepted and forced to pay the toll, including one for passenger transport, on the journey between Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, and Montepuez.
‘Yes, they are charging, it started this afternoon,’ a source said on Saturday at the site, 150 kilometres from Pemba.
Also on Saturday, a passenger transport vehicle was only able to continue its journey after paying 1,000 meticals (14 euros) on the spot.
‘They’re not forgiving anyone,’ reported another source from Pemba, after his brother, one of the drivers targeted by this “toll”, was released by the alleged terrorists.
The N14 road links the districts of Montepuez, Namuno and Balama in Cabo Delgado.
Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
The last major attack took place on 10 and 11 May 2024, on the district headquarters of Macomia, with around a hundred insurgents looting the town, causing several deaths and heavy fighting with the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces and Rwandan soldiers, who are supporting Mozambique in the fight against the rebels.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in northern Mozambique, an increase of 36% on the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the US Department of Defence.
Lusa
