There was an attack in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the district of Macomia, in Combre, at the end of August. At least two people were killed, and twelve houses were set on fire.

The province is in the northern part of the country, two kilometres away from the capital, Maputo. Since October last, the region has been a target for continuous violent attacks by groups associated with Islamic extremists. Last year alone other attacks left dozens dead or injured.

The Catholic Church is worried about this situation. In June of this year, the AIS foundation discovered a statement signed by the bishop of Pemba, Luiz Fernando Lisboa. In his report, Bishop Lisboa referred to the above incidents as “barbaric attacks, that are painful and disturbing,” causing death and the uprooting of communities.

According to Bishop Luiz,  since the series of attacks started in October, “the people [now] live in constant fear and insecurity.” He has visited many parishes in the region, trying to “take a message of hope” to the local people. According to the bishop, “there are many rumours and horror stories” which are contributing to a “general feeling of insecurity and uncertainty” in the area.

Bishop Luiz wished to express his anxiety about the fact that “the victims of the attacks are the poor.” In the document, the bishop highlighted that the diocese has always been impoverished, but since the discovery of some natural resources locally,  it has been the target for “an invasion of people, projects, and establishments from other provinces.”

Due to the attacks in the northern part of the country, the authorities of some countries like Portugal, the USA and the UK, warned their citizens not to travel to Palma, Mocímboa, Praia, and Macomia.  In June, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal advised the Portuguese people to avoid some places in Mozambique that are affected by the attacks of Islamic extremist groups.

According to a recent research of a German news-agency, called ‘DW’, some members of these groups belong to “radical movements that are pursued by the Tanzanian and Kenyan authorities,” and some of them “might have been trained for military service in the region of Grandes Lagos, what is connected to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.”

Source: Fundação AIS