Mozambique begs youth not to join jihadists

Authorities in Mozambique are appealing to young people not to join militant Islamist groups, after admitting for the first time that dozens of people were killed in an attack in Cabo Delgado province earlier this month. 

The incident, which occurred in the Muidumbe District of the gas-rich province, resulted in 52 young people being shot dead and has been described as one of the worst attacks since the Islamist insurgency began in 2017. 

A police spokesman said it happened after people had refused to join the jihadists.

“The criminals tried to recruit young people to join their ranks, but there was resistance on the part of the youths. This provoked the anger of the criminals, who indiscriminately killed - cruelly and diabolically - 52 young people,” Orlando Mudumane told reporters on Tuesday.

Officials in Mozambique very rarely confirm any reports of violence in the area, with the appeal to the nation’s youth marking an escalation in its response to the militants. 

According to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, more than 700 people have been killed during the insurgency and at least 200,000 displaced. 

Photo: AFP