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Mozambique's president states northern town under Islamist attack

Mozambique's army is battling Islamist insurgents who introduced a significant attack on the northern town of Macomia on Friday early morning, President Filipe Nyusi said in a telecasted address.

The town is in Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich northern province where Islamic State-linked militants released a revolt in 2017. In spite of a large security response, there has been a surge in attacks since January this year.

2 security sources informed that hundreds of fighters are believed to be associated with the current attack.

Macomia is under attack considering that this morning. Fire exchange still continues, Nyusi said at around 1000 GMT, adding that the militants at first withdrew after about 45 minutes of combating, however then regrouped and came back.

Friday's attack appeared to be the most major militant attack in the area in a long time.

A local force from the Southern African Advancement Neighborhood (SADC), which released in Mozambique in 2021, started withdrawing last month as its required ends in July.

Piers Pigou, head of Southern Africa Program at the Institute for Security Researches, stated the attack on the Macomia district head office confirms concerns over a security vacuum opening up with the drawdown of the southern African troops.

Claims that the province has been for the most part stabilised are obviously not accurate, he told .

Nyusi stated that attacks can happen in such periods of transition, and that he hoped the SADC forces would have the ability to step in and assistance. It was uncertain if they were still released in the location or involved in the battle

Rwanda has actually likewise released troops to Mozambique to help fight. the revolt.

Figures released by the International Company for Migration in March show over 110,000 individuals displaced since the end of in 2015, in the middle of escalating violence in the province.

The offensive comes as French oil company TotalEnergies is seeking to restart a $20 billion melted natural gas terminal in Cabo Delgado that was halted in 2021 due to the insurgency. That job is some 200 kilometres (124 miles). north of Macomia, the town under attack.

ExxonMobil, with partner Eni, is likewise establishing an LNG. task in northern Mozambique and said last week that it was. positive and pushing forward as the security scenario had. enhanced.

(source: Reuters)