Jihadists ‘cut off men’s heads’
– Mozambique’s government confirmed on Tuesday that tens of thousands of people have been driven from their homes by a wave of jihadist attacks in the restive north, but rejected calls for a state of emergency.
“We are talking about 67 321 displaced people,” government spokesperson Filimao Suaze said in the capital Maputo, describing the situation in Cabo Delgado province.
This figure, he said “corresponds to 14 270 families who arrived in the province of Nampula and... other places”.
“But government does not believe the conditions for declaring a state of emergency in Cabo Delgado have yet been created.”
Fresh unrest broke out in northern Mozambique two weeks ago, according to local reports and figures for displaced people from the UN migration agency, IOM.
“The sounds of gunshots woke us up, they began to chase people, we watched as they cut off the men’s heads with machetes, and we ran away with the little we had,” Josefina Gabriele said, adding: “Those terrorists are evil”.
The 40-year-old woman is among those who fled to the small town of Namapa in Nampula province, south of Cabo Delgado, a week ago. Thousands of displaced people walked in the rain, some carrying sacks of clothes and others babies on their backs.
The IOM has put the numbers fleeing attacks from Macomia, Chiure, Mecufi, Mocimboa da Praia and Muidumbe at 71 681 between 22 December and 25 February.
The insurgency erupted in October 2017 when fighters claiming to be affiliated to the Islamic State group attacked areas in Cabo Delgado.
Since 2021, thousands of troops from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community bloc have been deployed to shore up the Mozambican army.