Residents of Mucojo, in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique, reported today the movement of alleged terrorists within the community, located 40 kilometers from Macomia, raising fear among locals.
According to local sources, the suspected terrorists appear as civilians among residents and disappear after a few days, leaving the population concerned about possible attacks.
“Sometimes people appear and then vanish, without the communities knowing exactly where they go,” reported a source from Macomia. Some suspects are reportedly young locals, allegedly part of the armed group carrying out attacks in Cabo Delgado.
“Some are not strangers; they are from Mucojo, but they stay and then disappear without saying where they are going,” added another source.
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The information is known to the Defense and Security Forces, who have been on the ground to monitor the situation and prevent any opportunistic incidents.
“The forces are aware and always present in coordination with the communities, monitoring and doing everything to prevent infiltrators,” a source said.
Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich province, has been the target of extremist attacks for eight years, with the first attack recorded on October 5, 2017, in the Mocímboa da Praia district.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), the province recorded two violent events in the last two weeks, one involving Islamic State extremists, resulting in 13 deaths and raising the total to 6,515 fatalities since 2017.
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The ACLED report, covering data from March 9 to 22, notes that of 2,342 violent events recorded since October 2017, 2,172 involved elements associated with the Islamic State of Mozambique (EIM).
These attacks have caused 6,515 deaths over eight and a half years, including the 13 victims reported in the two-week period, with fishermen targeted, according to ACLED, by gunfire from the Mozambican Defense and Armed Forces (FADM).
