By Jamal Jamal
LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - At least seven villagers were killed on Sunday night in Mozambique’s conflict-hit Cabo Delgado province, police officials have confirmed.
Lucas Mutandane, chief operations officer for Police Rapid Interventions Unit, told reporters on Monday that armed insurgents invaded the districts of Balamaand Montepuez in the administrative posts of Mirate and Mavala and started beheading villagers.
“All the victims are men. They were beheaded, while others were shot dead while attempting to flee from the attackers. The army was deployed in the area to bring calm,” said Mutandane.
During the past two weeks, police said, the region has experienced a wave of terrorist attacks, and according to the International Organization of Immigration (IOM) at least 5,000 people have been displaced.
The fresh attacks, IOM officials say, have also affected delivery of humanitarian support to affected people.
Since 2017, Cabo Delgado has experienced terrorist attacks motivated by socio-economic exclusion and major mineral and carbon discoveries, police sources said. The attacks have killed more than 5,000 people and displaced over a million others.
Last week, President Daniel Chapo called for international support to “drive out the insurgents in the region as soon as possible.”
“We can’t afford to watch these attacks which are fueling both political and economic stability. Much as we are working to provide solutions, we also need the international support,” he said.