Mozambique. Traffic on the N380 carried out by a military convoy

Traffic on the National Highway 380 (N380), in northern Mozambique, has been carried out since Tuesday in a military column, in the face of insurgent attacks on motorists, the governor of Cabo Delgado province told Lusa.

"It started on Tuesday, and we'll be back on track soon," explained Valige Tauabo, assuring that the military convoy is a daily escort and aims to meet the needs of local business owners , especially on the stretch of the N380 between Macomia and Awasse, which has been the target of attacks by extremist groups in recent weeks.

"It's a matter of security. Motorists wanted comfort, so it's on those terms. We think a traffic column could be reestablished there," added the governor of Cabo Delgado, adding that the measure, which had already been implemented in the past in the context of insurgent attacks in that province since 2017, will remain in place for as long as necessary.

Lusa previously reported that a group of alleged terrorists attacked, on July 18, a health service ambulance in the Mueda district , north of Cabo Delgado province, taking medicines and patients' belongings.

The attack took place on the stretch between Awasse and Macomia of the N380, one of the few paved roads in the north of the province, shortly after the ambulance driver saw hooded men on the road who forced him to stop.

"I was going to Pemba and there the men ordered me to stop and forced everyone to get out," a source who was traveling in the ambulance told Lusa, adding that the vehicle was taken into the forest and looted by the attackers, who took supplies intended for the sick and belongings of the occupants.

The five occupants, including the driver, were released “after paying 10,000 meticais [135 euros] each”.

"In less than five minutes, the ambulance was already in the woods. There, they took a colleague's computer and cell phone, as well as patient supplies," he described.

The president of the Cabo Delgado business council requested on July 16 the resumption of military escorts on some sections in the face of illicit charges made by alleged terrorists for movement in that province .

“So far we are counting 104 vehicles [interpellated], until Saturday [July 12], it is a higher number, it is terrifying , because the ransom is higher, the values there vary from 200 to 350 thousand meticais [2,691 to 4,710 euros], imagine if you don't have it, the vehicle will be gray”, said, in statements to the media, Mamudo Irache, from the Confederation of Economic Associations — CTA, the largest representative of the Mozambican private sector.

According to the provincial representative, the alleged charging of fees by supposed insurgent groups as a condition for driving on the roads has been taking place since January, on the stretch between the town of Awasse, in the district of Mocímboa da Praia, and the district of Macomia, previously the scene of successive attacks by extremist groups.

In addition to demanding money, Mamudo Irache also warned of an increase in kidnappings on roads connecting the northern districts of Cabo Delgado , due to the withdrawal of military escorts, a measure that, until recently, operated mainly on the route between Macomia and Awasse.

"By resuming the escort, obviously, the businesspeople would feel safe," the official then appealed, also asking that military positions be placed in areas considered dangerous.

The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado, located in the north of the country, has been facing an armed rebellion since 2017, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people displaced.