At least 11,000 people have been displaced in Cabo Delgado province due to the recent wave of armed attacks that took place between late April and early May, the European Union (EU) reported on Tuesday (12), according to Lusa.
According to a statement released by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the EU notes that the period was marked by an intensification of activity by non-state armed groups in the districts of Ancuabe and Montepuez, with attacks targeting civilians, military personnel, and mining areas.
“Armed groups looted villages in Ancuabe, burned houses, killed, kidnapped, and committed acts of sexual violence,” the document states, adding that the attackers also destroyed a health center and buildings belonging to a Catholic church.
According to ECHO, the attacks have displaced approximately 11,000 people in Ancuabe and the neighboring district of Montepuez. The European agency further notes that, during the same period, clashes between extremists and Mozambican and Rwandan forces in Mocímboa da Praia resulted in deaths, although the number of victims has not been confirmed.
“These repeated episodes of violence reflect the unstable security situation in Cabo Delgado, where humanitarian access is regularly blocked by clashes and threats from improvised explosive devices,” notes ECHO.
The European agency also warns that many families continue to be repeatedly displaced due to the attacks, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Cabo Delgado, a province rich in natural resources, particularly natural gas, has been facing an armed insurgency since October 2017, a conflict that has already caused thousands of deaths and displacements.
Recent data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) indicate that between April 20 and May 3, 15 violent incidents were recorded in Cabo Delgado, seven of which were attributed to extremist groups linked to the Islamic State, resulting in at least 15 deaths.
Since the start of the insurgency in 2017, ACLED has recorded 2,371 violent incidents in the province, of which 2,191 involved elements associated with the Islamic State in Mozambique, resulting in more than 6,500 deaths.
