31st May, 2019
Unidentified armed men ambushed a cargo truck that also carried passengers, killing 16 people on Tuesday in Macomia district in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, local media reported on Friday.
Witnesses told the press that the attack occurred during the day when armed men came up from the woods and started firing at the vehicle.
According to the report, the attackers burnt down the vehicle in which eight people died, including three soldiers.
Another seven passengers, who were rescued by the nearby community, died eventually from gunshot wounds and the body of another passenger was found nearby, showing gunshot wounds.
Still in May, several deadly attacks by armed men were reported in the province of Cabo Delgado, with over 30 people reportedly killed.
The armed attacks in Cabo Delgado, the province that has mega gas projects in the country, started from October 2007 and over 200 people have been killed in sporadic attacks since then.
Earlier this week, the Chief Commander of the Police of Mozambique, Bernardino Rafael, said the attacks were financed by illegal miners (locally known as garimpeiros).
“They are garimpeiros that we fought in the past for their illegal activities. They attack us back as reprisal,’’ the commander said.