A new wave of deadly attacks by Islamist insurgents in the northern province of Cabo Delgado has forced tens of thousands to flee.
Last Thursday night, insurgents invaded the village of Nankumi, killing three people and prompting many others to flee, reports Lusa. The bodies of two Naparamas militia members were found the same day, a few kilometres from the village, while the third body, a civilian, was recovered on Friday, a source told the Portuguese news agency.
The Naparamas militia is a loosely organised rural force that first appeared during the country’s long civil war, resurfacing to fight the insurgents and also clashing with the authorities at times.
“It’s sad, but the terrorists continue to roam,” another source told Lusa. Elements linked to Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility on Saturday for new attacks in the districts of Ancuabe and Balama. The IS propaganda channel reported that a village in Ancuabe was attacked on Friday, with insurgents claiming they had “captured a member of local militias,” who was later “beheaded.”
On the previous day, in Balama district, insurgents allegedly from the IS-linked Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah (ASWJ) group claimed to have set fire to the home of a “commander of local militias,” appearing to reference Naparamas.
[See more: Abductions of children by Islamist insurgents are on the rise in northern Mozambique]
The attacks last week are just the latest episodes in a wave of increasing violence. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), “the escalation of attacks and growing fear of violence” from non-state armed groups in the districts of Muidumbe, Anucabe and Chiúre had displaced approximately 57,034 people by 3 August, days before the more recent attacks
The IOM’s most recent report, covering the period between 20 July and August 3, finds the displaced persons represent more than 13,000 families and include 590 pregnant women, 1,077 elderly people, 191 people with mobility issues and 126 children separated from their parents.
More than half (58 percent) of all displaced persons are children, nearly 33,000 in total. “We are witnessing a harrowing situation on the ground … the distress these children have endured is unimaginable,” Ilaria Manunza, Mozambique country director for Save the Children, said in a recent press release.
Both IOM and Save the Children emphasised the harm done to communities, people repeatedly forced to flee their homes as insurgents burn buildings, loot supplies, and kill and kidnap residents.
Since it began in 2017, the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado has displaced over a million people and killed at least 6,151, according to conflict monitor Cabo Ligado.
