Rwandan forces reinforcing Mozambique’s military in Cabo Delgado province killed 26 insurgents in Mandela village in Muidumbe, northern Cabo Delgado on Friday, and captured two, a resident source in Muidumbe told Zitamar News.
The insurgent group was caught by surprise when they were cooking in Mandela village, having attacked a series of villages in the district — Nampanha, Namande, Mandava and Matope — between 17-22 July, killing an uncertain number of people, another local source said.
These attacks were carried out during the insurgents’ escape after government troops attacked and reoccupied a position at Awasse, in Mocímboa da Praia district, having taken the insurgent bases of Diaca, Roma and Nanili where the troops captured quantities of military equipment, said President Nyusi in his address to the nation on Sunday night.
Pinnacle News reported that insurgents were still in Mandava until at least Thursday morning. Other reports heard by Zitamar suggest that a group of insurgents are in or near Pangele, the only village in Mocimboa da Praia that the population has not yet abandoned.
The insurgents have been seen carrying large amounts of luggage as they move around the area, indicating that they are abandoning their old bases for new areas due to military actions, a source resident in Muidumbe told Zitamar.
This article was produced by Zitamar and Mediafax under the Cabo Ligado project, in collaboration with ACLED. The contents of the article are the sole responsibility of Zitamar News.
