Mozambican authorities have announced the killing of six members of the Islamist terrorist group carrying out attacks in Cabo Delgado and the dicovery of a mass grave with bodies of insurgents in Mocímboa da Praia.
The six insurgents were reportedly killed on Sunday during patrol operations by the Defence and Security Forces in Mocímboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique.
The news of the military progress however failed to lift the mood of the people as the country celebrates its 45th independence anniversary. The former Portuguese colony has been buffeted by jihadist insurgency in the oil rich norther region of Cabo Delgado lately.
At the same time, the Defence and Security Forces found a mass grave in the region with an undisclosed number of bodies. The corpses are suspected to be of the insurgents killed by government forces in March following the group’s invasion of Mocímboa.
According to the government information, in the course of the operation, weapons, ammunition and medicines were recovered in unspecified quantities.
Meanwhile, the leader of Mozambique’s main opposition party Mozambican National Resistance, (RENAMO), Ossufo Momade has charged the Defence and Security Forces to swiftly restore peace and normalcy in the terror ravaged northern province of Cabo Delgado.
“Our opinion is that the Defence and Security Forces should improve their military strategy in order to restore the security of the populations and not waste time looking for the culprits,” said Ossufo Momade, in a public statement on the eve of the 45th anniversary of national independence.
The RENAMO leader advised the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) to demonstrate professional quality and vigilance at all times particularly in the campaign against escalating insurgency.
“What is happening in Cabo Delgado is a war. There is no doubt that we are at war,” he cautioned, accusing the Government of downplaying the seriousness of the insurgency at its inception.
The province of Cabo Delgado lodges Africa’s largest private investment for natural gas exploration. Around 600 people have already died and more than 200,000 are displaced.
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