A woman carries a bag of food distributed by the World Food Program (WFP) to displaced people in Cabo Delgado province at the Tribune School in Namapa town, Elati district, Nampula province, Mozambique, on April 21. (Alfredo Zuniga/AFP)
- Mozambique's president acknowledged on Friday that the town of Cabo Delgado in Macomia was under attack by Islamic State.
- President Filipe Nyusi said the jihadists had retreated but were returning.
- The attack, believed to be the most serious in the region in some time, comes as SADC forces begin to withdraw.
President Filipe Nyusi said in a televised address that Mozambique's military is fighting Islamic militants who launched a major attack on the northern town of Macomia on Friday morning.
The town is located in the gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado, where Islamic State-linked militants began an insurgency in 2017. Despite extensive security measures, attacks have increased sharply since January this year.
“Macomia has been under attack since this morning. The gunfight is still ongoing,” he said, adding that the insurgents initially retreated after about 45 minutes of fighting, but later regrouped and returned.
Friday's attack appeared to be the most serious insurgent attack in some time. Local media reported that large numbers of fighters were involved and many residents were evacuated.
Southern African Development Community regional forces deployed to Mozambique in 2021 began withdrawing last month as their mission ends in July.
Mr Nyusi said attacks could occur during such transitional periods and he hoped SADC forces could intervene and assist. It is unclear whether they are still deployed in the area or taking part in the fighting.
Rwanda is also sending troops to Mozambique to help fight the rebellion.
The offensive comes as French oil company Total Energy seeks to restart its $20 billion liquefied natural gas terminal in Cabo Delgado, which was shut down in 2021 due to the rebellion. The project is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the town of Macomia, which is under attack.
ExxonMobil is also developing an LNG project in northern Mozambique with partner Eni, and last week said it was “optimistic and moving forward” as the security situation improved.
