The population of Mitepo, Meluco district, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, abandoned the community in panic due to an alert that suspected terrorists were approaching, local sources told Lusa on Sunday.
According to the sources, a group of alleged terrorists was spotted at around 8 p.m. (6 p.m. in Lisbon) on Friday night, near the community of Mitepo, less than 20 kilometres from the district headquarters of Meluco, which caused panic among the residents.
‘Some people left the village to go and sleep in the bush, others like me fled to Meluco headquarters in desperation,’ said one source.
The community was abandoned, and the town of Meluco remained in turmoil because of the approach of the alleged group of rebels until Saturday morning.
‘We were awake all night. Not even Meluco’s birthday party was enough to distract us,’ said another source from the village.
There are no reports of fatalities or the attack on the village, but the situation has once again caused fear among the population.
‘Nobody is at ease in the Meluco district. Last week, they attacked 33 kilometres away, in Minhanha,’ said another local from Meluco.
Since the terrorists’ presence last week in the Meluco district, three communities, Xaxaxa, Minhanha and Chicomo, 60, 33 and 50 kilometres from the town of Meluco, respectively, have been attacked by insurgents, who also took a tractor from local loggers.
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 on the district headquarters of Macomia, with around a hundred insurgents sacking 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.
Lusa
