Mozambicans Denied Casualty Details amid Heightened Militarization: Catholic Peace Entity

“Both the Rwandan and Mozambican authorities do not offer information on civilians, such as the number rescued, the number injured and/or killed during military operations and the state they are in,” the peace entity that is monitoring the five-year-old crisis says.

In a report shared with ACI Africa August 11, DHPI officials add, “There is no public information about the state of the village, occupied by insurgents since 11 August 2020.”

At a DHPI event last month, Archbishop Inácio Saure of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nampula where thousands of displaced people from the north of Mozambique are seeking refuge decried the lack of information concerning the Mozambican conflict.

“The public is not well-informed concerning what is happening as the military fights the militants. The fact that journalists have been completely denied access in the region is not helping,” Archbishop Inácio said at the July 27 event.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Mozambique's army of crimes against displaced persons in the conflict. 

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The leadership of DHPI reiterates the claim, saying, “Hungry and sick civilians in the northern troubled region of Cabo Delgado are being prevented from traveling to safe areas.”

The human rights organization recalls the March 24 attack on the town of Palma, northern Mozambique when gun-wielding members of Ansar al-Sunna burned homes and farms, killing at least seven people.

Since the attack, HRW has documented abuses by government security forces, including restricting people’s movement, and beating and other forms of mistreatment.  

Despite government forces’ claims that they had regained control of Palma after more than 10 days of heavy fighting, residents said that Palma remained insecure. Some people who had returned to the town had to flee again due to renewed attacks, HRW reports.

According to the organization, people who fled Quitunda and Palma for Pemba in May and June said that government soldiers had tightly restricted movement. These soldiers also beat and mistreated some people trying to flee.

The civilians have narrated the challenges they face including the lack of water, food and medicine in places where they are stuck, unable to seek refuge owing to military restrictions.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.