Maputo — Terrorists kidnapped about 20 people, mostly women and children, in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday against the village of Nantodola, in Mocimboa da Praia district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, according to a report in Wednesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”.
So far details of the attack are scarce, but it is known that the raiders burnt down ten houses. Intervention by the Mozambican defence and security forces prevented any worse damage.
This was the fifth Mocimboa da Praia village hit by the insurgents within two days. On Monday the terrorists burnt down houses in Rua-rua, Nguri and Naibo villages. In Tuesday, it was the turn of Nantodola and Mungue villages.
Several of these places have been attacked before and “Carta de Mocambique” suggests that the insurgents’ strategy is to burn down houses to discourage villagers from returning.
Also on Monday, the villages of Namatil and Samala, in Muidumbe district were attacked. Again, houses were burnt down, property looted, and villagers driven from their homes.
The attacks raise the question as to whether it is possible to hold the general elections scheduled for 15 October in these places. Citizens are supposed to vote in the same places where they registered as voters in the April-May registration period: but thousands of people have fled from their homes due to the terrorist roads, and could find it impossible to make their way to the polling stations.
It is also reported that the insurgents are threatening to attack polling stations on voting day.
The self-styled “Islamic State” (also known as ISIS or Daesh) is now claiming responsibility for some of the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, but the authorities do not believe there is any genuine link between ISIS and the Mozambican fundamentalists.