The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Monday, March 29, for almost a week of attacks on Palma, a port city in northern Mozambique on the border with Tanzania.
The capture of Palma further aggravates the humanitarian situation in the region, as thousands of people, locals and international workers, have been forced to flee.
According to the few testimonies that emerge, Palma is now a ghost town. Mozambican security forces have launched an offensive to regain control of the town. taken by the men of the Islamic State.
The inhabitants sought refuge where they could, in an emergency. They left in the surrounding forests and sometimes went for several days on foot or at sea, rescued by various boats. Total gas space, is a few kilometers away and very safe, has also seen an influx of civilians.
Those who could be evacuated joined Pemba, a little further south, a city that already had many refugees in recent months, over the attacks that have displaced more than 500,000 since the beginning of the conflict. While communication with Palma is still interrupted, these survivors are in a state of shock without news from their relatives. The UN calls for funding to deal with such a humanitarian crisis.
NGOs are worried about the fate of hundreds of missing persons
The Mozambican government communicates very little and is content to talk about “dozens of victims”, apart from the seven people who officially died while trying to escape from a besieged hotel. But for their part, their NGOs are worried about the fate of hundreds of missing people.
The region, rich in gas resources, has been shaken by jihadist violence since the end of 2017, led by a group that feeds on the region’s poverty and residents’ anger. These terrorists call themselves “Al-Shabab” (“Young people”, in Arabic) and claim to be affiliated with ISIS.
