The United States has advised its citizens against travelling to the Niassa Special Reserve and areas near the border with Cabo Delgado, following an insurgent attack that killed one person and forced approximately 2,000 residents to flee their homes.
The attack took place on Thursday, 3 July, at the Marangira Coutada hunting concession within the Niassa Special Reserve, where an armed group destroyed a tourist camp operated by Mozambique Wild Adventures. In alerts issued by the US embassies in Mozambique and South Africa, Washington recommended that its citizens avoid the border zone between Niassa and Cabo Delgado and refrain from travelling to the Niassa Special Reserve 'for any reason'.
In the wake of the attack, three American tourists were evacuated from the area. US authorities noted that the Mozambican Armed Defence Forces are conducting operations in the region, amid growing concerns over the expansion of armed incursions beyond Cabo Delgado.
The Niassa Special Reserve already carries the highest risk rating in the US State Department's travel advisory system, classified as 'Do Not Travel'. The same designation applies to Cabo Delgado and parts of northern Nampula, citing the risk of terrorist attacks. Niassa provincial secretary Silva Livone confirmed that the attack resulted in one death and led to the displacement of around 2,000 people. 'We have more than 2,000 people at the reception site,' the official said.
According to Silva Livone, the attackers entered Niassa from the neighbouring province of Cabo Delgado and were seeking food and supplies to bolster their logistics. The incident reinforces fears of a broader spread of armed violence that has afflicted Cabo Delgado since 2017 and which, in recent years, has seen sporadic incursions into the neighbouring provinces of Niassa and Nampula.
Since the insurgency began in Cabo Delgado, more than 6,600 people are estimated to have lost their lives and over 1.2 million have been forced to abandon their home areas. Recent data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicate that armed violence in Cabo Delgado generated 1,401 new displaced persons in August, while conflict-related incidents rose 10% in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2023.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=537498
