Mozambique insurgents kill four in town near military base

Renewed attacks have been reported in recent months in Cabo Delgado province where the insurgency has been raging since 2017, and where a stalled multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project operated by French energy giant TotalEnergies is awaiting to restart.

"The insurgents...killed four people, including a local merchant, and kidnapped two girls," a military officer who asked to remain anonymous told AFP.

"They clashed with the local militia for a few minutes and then withdrew from the town," he said of Sunday night's attack. "Some insurgents were wounded."

The Mozambican authorities did not comment and rarely confirm such incidents.

A large military base for Rwandan forces, which have supported the Mozambican army in Cabo Delgado since 2021, is located just outside of Macomia.

"We heard gunshots around 8pm and started running into the woods. When they entered the neighbourhood, they killed four people and kidnapped four others, including a woman and her two daughters," a resident who also requested anonymity told AFP.

Another resident said the insurgents had "fatally shot a young man who refused to hand over his father's belongings".

At least 6,200 people have been killed since the insurgency started in 2017, according to conflict monitoring group ACLED.

On Friday, Doctors Without Borders announced it had suspended its medical activities in the port town of Mocimboa da Praia and the surrounding district following an upsurge of attacks.

Mocimboa da Praia was previously a landing port for fuel, cars, tractors and other equipment for companies operating in the gas hub near the town of Palma.

The TotalEnergies project has been stalled since militants struck Palma in March 2021. More than 800 people were killed, according to ACLED.

Several subcontractors and families of victims of the attack filed a lawsuit against the French energy giant in October 2023.

TotalEnergies has announced that construction on the $20-billion LNG project could restart within months.