Civilians Reported Killed in New Attacks in Northern Mozambique

Insurgents have carried out new attacks in a gas-rich area of northern Mozambique plagued for years by jihadist violence, killing several villagers and causing others to flee, locals said Monday.

Insurgents raided a village in the Meluco district of the Cabo Delgado province early Monday and killed at least one person, they said.

“They entered his house and took his goats, but he resisted and they beheaded him,” a villager told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“They raided about 10 houses, stole goods and later burned them. Some of these houses belonged to the chiefs of the village,” they said.

A military source confirmed the attack, also on condition of anonymity, and said it caused locals to flee to nearby areas.

In another strike blamed on insurgents, three villagers were killed on March 14 in the nearby district of Macomia, a local said.

The attackers, who burned down houses and stole supplies, were confronted by a local militia and around five militants were reportedly killed, the villager said.

Militants linked to the Islamic State group launched an insurgency in the area in 2017, stalling the exploitation of vast offshore gas deposits discovered there in 2010. Close to 5,800 people have been killed.

In a major incident, the Islamic State-linked militants killed dozens of people when they attacked the port town of Palma in 2021, sending thousands of people fleeing into the surrounding forest.

French prosecutors said Saturday they had opened a manslaughter investigation against energy giant TotalEnergies after allegations that it failed to protect its subcontractors in the area, some of whom were reported to have been among the dead.