Terrorist movements in Mecúfi cause local unrest
Recent terrorist movements in the locality of Natuco, Mecúfi district, Cabo Delgado province, have created agitation and fears among the population, according to local leader information.
"The situation is not normal, our population is very agitated," Ali Anli, head of the Natuco locality, located more than 100 kilometers from the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado (Pemba), told international press.
Although the first movements in Mecúfi district were recorded without attacks on civilians, according to the source, some people from interior localities decided to leave the region heading to the district capital or the provincial capital.
"There are reports that they usually capture people, forcing them to show the way to the destinations they seek to reach. Then they send them back to their homes (...) They are heading towards the Lúrio river, on the border between the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula," Ali Anli stated.
For six years, Cabo Delgado province has faced an armed insurgency, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, leading to a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects.
After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have been recorded in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, although locally authorities suspect that the movement is related to the pursuit imposed by the Defense and Security Forces in the districts of Macomia, Quissanga, and Muidumbe, among the most affected.
The conflict has resulted in one million displaced people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
