Mozambique asks the population to “resist” with “machetes” against the jihadist attacks in Cabo Delgado

Sep. 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The head of the Mozambican Police, Bernardino Rafael, has asked the population of the province of Cabo Delgado (north) to “resist” the jihadist attacks with “knives” or “machetes”, given the rise in insecurity in this area of ​​the African country.

“When the terrorists enter their fields, they have to resist and chase them with knives, machetes and everything they have while the population calls the security forces to take action,” he said, according to the Mozambican newspaper ‘O Country’.

Thus, he stressed that the security forces “are going to offer military training to some members of the population to create a Local Force with the aim of achieving more security”, while calling for “greater vigilance” by the population .

In recent months, the Mozambican authorities have highlighted an improvement in the security situation in the area due to joint operations with Rwandan special forces and troops deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Cabo Delgado has been the scene since October 2017 of attacks by Islamist militiamen known as Al Shabaab, unrelated to the homonymous group that operates in Somalia and maintains ties with Al Qaeda. Since mid-2019 they have been claimed mostly by the Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCA), which has intensified its actions since March 2020.