Nearly nine years after the start of the armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the district of Quissanga still has no rehabilitated public infrastructure, with various state services operating from improvised facilities.
The information was provided by district administrator Sidónio Lindo, who explained that infrastructure previously used by public services was destroyed during the attacks and has not yet been restored. "It is true that the district still has no infrastructure for the functioning of any service. You can see that all the infrastructure is completely destroyed," the official said.
According to the administrator, earlier reconstruction attempts were repeatedly undone by fresh attacks from armed groups, leading authorities to adopt a more cautious approach to new investment. "On various occasions promises have been made, but you will recall that we have already carried out infrastructure rehabilitation — the terrorists destroyed it, we managed to rebuild some infrastructure and, again, the terrorists destroyed it once more," he explained.
Sidónio Lindo argued that any new reconstruction process must take prevailing security conditions on the ground into account, to prevent investments from being destroyed again. "We need to carefully consider the right moment to rehabilitate certain infrastructure so that it is not destroyed again," he added.
Despite the difficulties, the district has received back more than 55,000 people who had fled the region due to the attacks. That figure represents a significant share of Quissanga's approximately 64,000 inhabitants.
According to the administrator, returnees are distributed across 32 of the district's 34 villages. Namaluco and Sossosso, however, remain without resident populations due to persistent insecurity. "We have a figure of roughly 55,000 people who have already returned to the district. The district has a total of 64,000 inhabitants and we believe that level of returnees is quite positive," he said.
The administrator noted that some areas continue to record movements by insurgent groups, limiting the return of residents and the normal functioning of basic services. "One of the villages that was completely abandoned is Namaluco, which is an entry point for the terrorists when they move south through the province," he said.
Beyond insecurity, Quissanga faces difficulties in agricultural production due to the presence of elephants in farming areas, a situation that has undermined households' capacity to produce food for their own consumption.
Part of the population's food needs therefore continues to be met through support from the World Food Programme (WFP). "This food deficit has been covered with WFP support, but we cannot rely fully on that support. Our wish as a government is to see communities producing their own food," said Sidório Lindo.
The administrator also called for community unity and strengthened vigilance as key conditions to support the reconstruction of the district and the resumption of economic and social activities. "We must unite around a common objective, which is the reconstruction of our infrastructure and the continuation of our activities. The government, as a whole, is here," he concluded.
Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency since October 2017. According to international organisations cited in available information, the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people and displaced approximately 1.2 million. Recent data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also indicate that armed violence displaced 1,401 people in August, while conflict incidents rose 10% in the first half of the year compared with the same period the previous year.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/05/desenvolvimento-2/cabo-delgado-quissanga-continua-sem-infra-estruturas-publicas-nove-anos-depois-dos-ataques/
