Catholic Peace Entity Concerned about “new wave of attacks” in Mozambican Province

Since the suspension, DHPI notes, there has been considerable pressure on IDPs to return to their homes to “prove” that the situation has been normalized, so that TotalEnergies can resume operations.

Other pressures, such as the suspension of humanitarian assistance in camps hosting IDPs who fled from Cabo Delgado, have left them with limited options, DHPI says, noting that some are choosing to go back home to evade starvation.

“Church leaders have consistently warned IDPs not to return, as the situation in their areas of origin is not yet stable, and as there is nothing to return to. They have been vindicated by the latest escalation of attacks over the past two weeks in areas that IDPs returned to,” DHPI says. 

The peace entity had gathered reports of two groups of insurgents visiting the villages in Mocímboa da Praia, a town in the northernmost part of Cabo Delgado between September 27-29. The villages were Marere, Calugo and Ulo.

On arrival, the insurgents are said to have warned people, most of them fresh returnees, to leave their homes.

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The latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) more than 850 thousand people displaced by terrorist attacks have not yet returned to their villages of origin.  

In Mocímboa da Praia, some villagers are said to be leaving for fear of being mistaken for insurgents amid a heavy military presence in the Mozambican district.

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.