Insurgents attacked Mitope village, about 35km west of the town of Mocímboa da Praia last Friday, setting fire to numerous homes and buildings and kidnapping several people.
The attack began at around 4pm on 22 July, with insurgents burning houses and looting goods, a local source told Zitamar. After laying waste to the village, the insurgents withdrew back into the forest, taking a number of civilians with them, the source claimed.
Islamic State (IS) acknowledged the attack on social media, claiming to have set fire to dozens of homes and publishing a series of photos, allegedly of the attack on Mitope, featuring numerous buildings ablaze.
A source working in security in Cabo Delgado reported that insurgents engaged in a brief firefight with local militia before escaping via Chitole, a village approximately 10km northeast of Mitope, which had been attacked by insurgents on 12 July.
Mitope is about 10km from the crucial junction of Awasse, which controls traffic between Mocímboa da Praia, Mueda, and a vital road south towards Macomia and Pemba. Up to 7,000 displaced people have recently returned to Awasse, according to Mocímboa da Praia district secretary João Saraiva, but he warned that people should follow government advice and not rush to return to the district.
