The conflict in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, has been going on for five years and is seriously affecting the lives of thousands of people. For the inhabitants, the difficulties in accessing basic services such as health, water, food and housing are a constant struggle.
The inhabitants of Palma and Mocimboa da Praia are back in these two small port towns in northern Mozambique, retaken from the Islamist insurgents, by the Mozambican military forces with the support of the Rwandan army and the regional community, the SADC.
In the north of Mozambique, the traces of war are everywhere: walls riddled with bullets, houses, shops or even burned vehicles. Administrative buildings, gas stations, schools and banks were completely destroyed. The towns of Mocímboa da Praia and Palma have become ghost towns.
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It is time to rebuild, tells us João Buchili, administrator of the city of Palma. ” We are happy when we come home. As the security issue has improved, people are back and want to take control of their lives. They want to resume their agricultural activities. People cut wood to rebuild their houses as they were before “.
Mocímboa da Praia was taken on August 12, 2020. An occupation that lasted 11 months and 27 days, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee. The inhabitants of the region pushed towards the exodus, still live with the trauma and the fear of new attacks. Julio Rafael, 27 years old, he is now going back to high school to try to get his BAC.
” To live here, you have to have courage »
” We are back, but we still think of the terrorists with their weapons who kill people, who burn down houses. The agents who were murdered were people like us. So, when we think about it, we see the images that scroll through our heads », tells us this young man who is back in his village.
Inhabitants who live in fear and for whom it is difficult to think about the future. You have to be in survival mode and be brave: “ We got used to living here, but to live here you have to have courage because you don’t trust anyone. The terrorists arrived without warning. So, we don’t know what to expect today, we always ask ourselves questions “.
They fled with only the clothes they wore on the bodies for good, in the direction of the regional capital Pemba, others left for Mueda. This is the case of Jordão Sabime, 25, who fled with his family, his mother-in-law, his pregnant wife and his three children. They walked for three days to reach the town of Mueda, 150 kilometers away, where they took refuge.
” We walked for three days in the forest to Mueda where we stayed for six months. We left with the family, my wife was pregnant, and she gave birth during our flight. We took the baby and we kept on walking in the forest », tells us Jordão Sabime.
Stories that reflect the violence of the ongoing conflict
Parents who have witnessed the death of their children, people who have seen a member of their family die. Today, Sérgio Cipriano, administrator of Mocímboa da Praia, assures that the situation is on the way to normalization and the region is secure: “ People testify to our union, that we will not tolerate people with bad behavior. People denounce what is wrong. Their return is voluntary and people are arriving in large numbers “.
For five years, violent fighting has pitted government forces against armed groups affiliated with the Islamist movement. In recent months, the insurgents have been living entrenched in forests, in areas that are difficult to access, Nangade, Macomia and Meluco, in particular where they form militias to carry out violent actions.
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Despite the return of populations, hundreds of thousands of people are still displaced in northern Mozambique after fleeing the fighting since 2017. In this exodus, many people have suffered attacks by armed men. Children have been abducted, especially girls. Sexual violence, forced marriages and the forced recruitment of young boys into these armed groups are denounced.
Separated families number in the hundreds and are still trying to rebuild themselves in the firm hope that this page of terrorism in northern Mozambique will now be definitively turned.