Maputo — The Mozambican defence and security forces, early on Friday morning, occupied the Diaca administrative post in Mocimboa da Praia district, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, driving out islamist terrorists, who had been using Diaca as a training camp.
According to a report in Monday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, on Sunday the Mozambican forces also retook Namacunde, the capital of Muidumbe district.
Namacunde has changed hands three times in the past six months. The jihadists occupied and vandalised the small town in early November 2020. The defence and security forces drove them out some weeks later. However, those units of the defence forces were needed elsewhere, and so they left Namacunde. The terrorists returned, but on Sunday were driven out again.
On Saturday President Filipe Nyusi himself revealed that terrorists had been defeated in an attempt to capture the Olumbe administrative post, in Palma district. Speaking in Maputo at the opening session of a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Frelimo Party, he said there had been a dispute among the terrorists which left five of their number dead.
Meanwhile survivors of the raid against Palma town on 24 March are continuing to flee into the neighbouring district of Nangade. According to “Mediafax”, these survivors say there are still many people hiding in villages on the boundary between Palma and Nangade districts, but who eventually make their way to Nangade town.
In a local refugee centre, about 300 people are being assisted by the Nangade authorities and by the NGO “Medecins sans Frontieres” (“Doctors without borders”). The displaced people are regularly receiving food and other necessities. Some of them have left the centre and are renting houses in Nangade.