Pemba, Mozambique, June 5, 2025 (Lusa) - At least “two insurgents” were killed and a member of the Local Force was injured following clashes in the woods of the community of Novo Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, an official source told Lusa on Thursday.
The clashes, about 50 kilometres from the district of Macomia, in the centre of Cabo Delgado province, began on Tuesday night on the banks of the Messalo River in Novo Cabo Delgado, as a result of security forces pursuing extremists after farmers reported the presence of armed men in the area.
“There were clashes, yes, they lasted two days, and we dealt heavy blows to the enemy in their stronghold,” said a Local Force source in Macomia. “We killed two terrorists and one of our colleagues was wounded, but nothing serious,” he added.
The so-called Local Force is made up of Frelimo veterans who fought for ten years against the Portuguese colonial regime until Mozambique gained independence in 1975. In addition to veterans, the militia also includes descendants of former combatants in the war against colonialism.
In the pursuit of the armed men, the source added, it was possible to disrupt a line of communication with the extremist group Islamic State.
Since October 1, 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State, which have displaced more than one million people.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the province, an increase of 36% over the previous year, according to data recently released by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, an academic institution of the US Department of Defense that analyses conflicts in Africa.
Just over a week ago, Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on a Mozambican army camp in Macomia, saying it had killed at least 10 soldiers, information not confirmed by the Mozambican authorities.
In a statement posted on its propaganda channels, Islamic State added that the military camp was destroyed in this alleged attack, the second, the group claims, in less than a month, after another similar attack in Muidumbe, which it claims killed 11 Mozambican soldiers.
These attacks, although on a smaller scale, have been intensifying in recent months, coinciding with the announced intention of oil company TotalEnergies to resume the mega-project for the production of Liquefied Natural Gas in Cabo Delgado, valued at US$20 billion (€17.7 billion).
In April, attacks by these groups were also reported in a game reserve in the neighbouring province of Niassa, resulting in at least two deaths.
In May, a Russian oceanographic vessel was the target of an armed attack at sea by unknown assailants in an area of Cabo Delgado that is regularly targeted by extremists attacking local fishermen.
RYCE/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
