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At least 60 people, mostly foreigners, have disappeared since Islamist militants attacked a column of civilian vehicles fleeing the armed clashes in Palma. The government confirms dozens of deaths.
According to the recordings of the Security Forces (SDS), to which the British newspaper “The Guardian” had access, and which describe what happened after the attack on Palma, only seven of the 17 vehicles of the column that fled the city They managed to get to a safe area on Friday.
All those traveling in the other vehicles are presumed dead, says the British newspaper. It was not yet possible to understand if these possible deaths are included among the dozens of deaths confirmed this Sunday by the Mozambican Defense Ministry.
“A group of terrorists has surreptitiously penetrated the hamlet of the Palma district and has launched actions that culminated in the cowardly murder of dozens of defenseless people and material damage to some of the government’s infrastructure,” said Omar Saranga, spokesman for the Ministry of National . Defense of Mozambique.
Omar Saranga made the aftermath of the attacks in Palma, which began on Wednesday, in a press release that he read to journalists in Maputo, without the right to ask questions.
“The SDS regretted the loss of seven lives by a group of citizens who rushed towards a column of vehicles leaving the Amarula Hotel, which was ambushed by terrorists,” he said.
The attack unleashed on Wednesday in Palma is the most serious of the gas projects under development in the region, after three and a half years of armed insurgency in the area.
Since then, untold numbers of people have been fleeing to the Afungi Peninsula. A more restricted group, of about 200 citizens of different nationalities, took refuge in the Amarula hotel, from where many were rescued by land and sea to the area controlled by Total Oil.
One of the caravans was attacked Friday night and at least seven people were killed. There were also injuries in the incident and one of them is a Portuguese who is now being transferred to South Africa for medical treatment, as confirmed by the Portuguese authorities.
This caravan, according to “The Guardian”, is said to have been attacked by insurgents, fearing that the total number of victims is higher than that revealed by the Mozambican government.
According to the minister, the SDS reinforced the “operational strategy” to contain the attacks of the attackers and restore normality in Palma, having carried out in the last three days actions focused on the rescue of hundreds of people, nationals and foreigners, and on the protection of citizens and their property.
“At this time, the SDS continues to clarify the areas of Palma to guarantee a safe return of the populations. The positions of the SDS are all under its control,” said Omar Saranga.
Mozambique’s National Defense Ministry said Mozambique forces managed to evict hundreds of people, nationals and foreigners, and also prevented infrastructure and property from being vandalized.
The SDS, he continued, continued to pursue the attackers, with the aim of eliminating “some pockets of resistance” and preventing the “terrorists” from returning to Palma.
The Defense Ministry spokesman did not say whether government forces had regained effective control of Palma and whether the attackers remained in the town..
“The clear objective of this cowardly incursion by the terrorists was to terrorize the populations of the main town in the Palma district and threaten the development of infrastructures that will provide an improvement in living conditions in the countryside and on the premises. populations in particular ”, emphasized Omar Saranga.
Saranga pointed out that SDS activities are being carried out with strict respect for human rights.
The violence that has raged since October 2017 in northern Mozambique is causing a humanitarian crisis with almost 700,000 displaced and more than 2,000 dead.
Some of the raids were claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) between June 2019 and November 2020, but the source of the attacks remains under debate.
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