Terrorists invade mine in Cabo Delgado

A group of miners abandoned a precious stone mine in Meluco, in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, in the face of the presence of a group of alleged terrorists, an official source told Lusa.

According to the source, the presence of these insurgents in the area of ​​the Matandane mine, in Minhanha, 30 kilometers from the headquarters of Meluco, occurred around 12:00 (11:00 in Lisbon) this Wednesday, when the miners were working at the site.

“The terrorists invaded the Matandane mine and the miners fled,” the source reported from Meluco.

The invasion of the Matandane mine took place one day after the Local Force withdrew the elements that guaranteed security in the area.

“We had people there and we withdrew them on Tuesday and then yesterday, Wednesday, they came in. I think they realized,” he added, noting that the alleged rebels crossed the Messalo River to reach the mine.

“The peasants also fled because they passed through their machambas [agricultural fields],” he added.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, but the population had abandoned the area, sources on the ground reported.

The so-called Local Force is composed mainly of former guerrillas from the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), which led the war against the Portuguese colonial regime (1964-1974) and who voluntarily took up arms again to fight the rebel groups that have carried out attacks in the province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017.

This force has been an important ally in operations to stop the armed insurgency in northern Mozambique, with the advantage of being made up of former local guerrillas who are familiar with the geography of the region where the conflict is taking place.

Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State, which have led to the displacement of more than a million people.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the province, an increase of 36% compared to the previous year, according to data recently released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution of the US Department of Defense that analyzes conflicts in Africa.