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On weekend of October 31-November 1 [1] Islamists representing themselves as "Al-Shabab" (not to be confused with the group of the same name in Somalia) attacked several villages in the Muidumbe district of north-eastern Mozambique.
| Part of the Ansar al-Sunna insurgency | |
 | |
| Date | 31 October 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | Muidumbe in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Outcome | Over 20 killed on raids in Muidumbe villages. |
| Suspect(s) | Ansar al-Sunna |
Background
Script error: No such module "main". Ansar al-Sunna has operated in Northern Mozambique as a religious organization since 2015 [2]. They started using violence as a means to their goals some time after their formation. Militant activity taken out by Ansar al-Sunna has taken thousands of lives in Mozambique since their inception.
In late October, 2020, it was reported that the Mozambique government carried out an operation against local Islamic militants killing over 100[3] . The police operation against the “Base Syria Complex” In Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province was deemed such a success that local civil servants were told to return to work in the area by November 1st their pay would be docked if they refused.
The local civil servants had been avoiding the area due to jihadist activity for most of 2020. This operation was meant to bring order back to the province.
The local Jihadists had previously been linked to the Ansar al-Sunna moment. There have have also been reports linking them to the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP)[1]
Attack
On the morning of Saturday October 30, militants raided the Muidumbe villages of Magaia, Nchinga, Namacunde, Muatide and Muambula [4] By that morning, officials in the capital, Pemba started receiving reports of at least 5 decapitations and kidnappings of an unknown amount of children from the village of Nchinga. Later that day, three more deaths and an unspecified amount of torched buildings were reported in Muatide village.
Some publications[5] have speculated that these raids on local villages are retaliations for the local police raids on on the Base Syria Complex.
In at least one of the villages, a boys initiation ceremony was taking place when the militants began the raid. The Militants are reported to have decapitated some of those taking place in the ceremony. [6] The bodies of at least 20 people were found on Monday. 5 adults and 15 boys had been scattered across a forest clearing in Muidumbe.
As of November 5, 2020, the the only group claiming responsibility for the attacks is Al-Shabab in Mozambique[7]
Aftermath
On November 4th, while tring to escape the area, at least 50 people, including 10 children [8] drowned trying to escape the violence in northern Mozambique.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://allafrica.com/stories/202011021023.html
- ↑ https://jamestown.org/program/ansar-al-sunna-a-new-militant-islamist-group-emerges-in-mozambique/
- ↑ https://allafrica.com/stories/202010310131.html
- ↑ https://allafrica.com/stories/202011021023.html
- ↑ https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-terrorists-attack-muidumbe-villages-aim-report-176007/
- ↑ https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-20-massacred-during-mozambique-initiation-ceremony-01604527504?refsec=afp-news
- ↑ https://www.macaubusiness.com/mozambique-army-advances-on-key-militia-base-govt/
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/at-least-40-fleeing-extremist-violence-drown-in-mozambique/2020/11/04/403e1de2-1eb7-11eb-ad53-4c1fda49907d_story.html
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