Mozambique Islamist insurgents have reportedly renewed clashes near the southern African country’s northern town of Palma, reports say.
“Insurgents tried to attack government forces position in Patacua, near Afungi LNG site and were repelled with air support,” a BBC report quoted AFP news agency as saying on Thursday.
This came as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders on Wednesday, June 23, agreed to deploy a standby force to Mozambique to help combat violent attacks in the Cabo Delgado province.
Cabo Delgado has long experienced instability, but the insurgency involving Islamist militants began in 2017.
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The conflict attracted more international attention after the militants seized Palma in March this year, killing foreigners and bringing a $20bn natural gas project to a halt.
The attack also targeted shops, banks, and military barracks.
Militants linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) group were behind the conflict in the predominantly Muslim region.
According to a UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) report released two weeks ago, at least 70 000 people have fled Palma since March 24, bringing the number of displaced people to nearly 800 000.
The UNHCR said in the wake of the attack in Palma, at least 2 000 children have been separated from their parents and do not even know whether their parents are alive.
PICTURE: Twitter/@AminJMohammed
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
