Catholic Peace Entity Reports Renewed Attacks Near Mozambican Military Base

According to the peace entity of SACBC, the population of Macomia fears that it will become risky to access the fields around the village. 

Another source, linked to the local militias, told DHPI that he was at home preparing a suitcase of clothes to head to Pemba, the provincial capital, due to renewed fears of insecurity in the village.

Before the conflict spread, Macomia was one of the main commercial and transport hubs in the province, being located in the middle of the only paved road connecting the North and South of Cabo Delgado, DHPI reports.

The district is about 200 kilometers South of Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, an area of gas projects, reconquered with the support of Rwandan forces in July 2021. Rebel groups fleeing the military offensive are suspected to be responsible for attacks that have taken place elsewhere in Cabo Delgado. 

The DHPI report indicates that in Cabo Delgado’s far North, near the border with Tanzania, villages in Nangade district have been the target of rebel incursions since February. 

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In just three months to February, the number of people in Mozambique who have been internally displaced due to the war in Cabo Delgado, rose by 7 percent to 784,000 people, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said in its latest report on the conflict.

The IOM document seen by ACI Africa indicates that in a survey carried out in January and February there were 49,100 more people recorded than in the previous one, concluded in November.

IOM has highlighted attacks by armed rebels in the areas of Nangade, Meluco, Macomia and in the Quirimbas archipelago, as a leading cause for the increase in the number of internally displaced persons in Cabo Delgado.

Most families fleeing the war are living in host communities, while about one quarter are in special camps, the document explains. 

The capital of Cabo Delgado Province, Pemba, is the district hosting the most internally displaced people (152,000), followed by Metuge (124,000), an adjacent area across the bay. 

At the other end of Cabo Delgado, the biggest destination is Mueda (85,000 internally displaced) in the North, close to the border with Tanzania. 

Children continue to account for around half of the displaced population, and food and shelter are the main needs, the IOM report indicates.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.