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A militant group killed at least 52 people in a village in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province on April 7 after residents had refused to join them, police said.
“The criminals tried to recruit young people to join their ranks, but there was resistance on the part of the youths. This provoked the anger of the criminals, who indiscriminately killed – cruelly and diabolically – 52 young people,” police spokesman Orlando Mudumane told the state media on April 21.
The incident took place in the village of Xitaxi in the Muidumbe district.
Police claimed that government forces are now working to hunt down and neutralize the attackers.
The security situation in the gas-rich region is rapidly escalating. Since March, ISIS-linked militants have been seizing government buildings, blocking roads and briefly hoisting their black-and-white flag over towns and villages across Cabo Delgado province.
Units of Police and the army deployed in the province seem to be unable to react properly to the increasing number of ISIS attacks. The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq even claimed that ISIS fighters had shot down a helicopter, which was allegedly operated by private military contractors.
#Mozambique l’#EI affirme avoir « descendu en hélicoptère dans la région de #Quisanga #CaboDelgado » pic.twitter.com/WAhlY6gAIO
— Wassim Nasr (@SimNasr) April 20, 2020
The ISIS attacks even took place in the town of Mocimboa de Praia, a logistical hub located near the $60bn gas project under development in the province.
ISIS (IS Central Africa) temporarily took over the key town of Mocimboa da Praia in #Mozambique, seizing military & other points swiftly after apparently a not-so-negative reception locally (Sound familiar?)
They captured very large amounts of small arms- seems many T56s here. pic.twitter.com/DIEZLwFVL8
— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) March 24, 2020
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