Fourteen killed in insurgent attacks in Cabo Delgado
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Carta de Moçambique
At least 14 people are reported to have been killed in attacks attributed to insurgents in the area between Muidumbe and Mueda, in Cabo Delgado. Local sources and Islamic State-linked channels gave this toll, while teams helped bury the victims, Carta de Moçambique reports.
At least 14 people were killed in attacks attributed to insurgents in the area between Muidumbe and Mueda districts in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, according to Carta de Moçambique. All the victims were from Muidumbe district, according to local sources cited by the newspaper and members of the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) who took part on Sunday in an operation to help residents recover and bury the bodies.
Islamic State propaganda platforms claimed the attacks on Monday and said they had killed 14 Christians by beheading. Four beheaded bodies had been found in the same area on Friday, according to a report previously published by Carta de Moçambique. Muidumbe’s permanent secretary and district administrator, João Bosco, did not provide an independent death toll: the former was away from the district, while the latter referred questions to the Mozambican police, which is not responsible for military operations in northern Cabo Delgado.
The violence comes as the Islamic State group increasingly targets civilians in Cabo Delgado, according to an assessment published on 18 October. Three fishermen also escaped captivity attributed to armed groups in the province on 26 October.
