Mozambique's military said on Thursday it had launched an operation in the country's north following a new attack blamed on militant insurgents who allegedly beheaded three local people.
Forces from Mozambique and Rwanda had been deployed to a dense forested area near the border with Tanzania following the attack reported at the weekend, the military said.
Reports from the area said insurgents killed three people on Sunday at an artisanal gold mine in the Meluco district of gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, which has in recent months been the target of successive attacks.
"They beheaded three – two men and a woman. The remaining miners who were there were forced to hand over money to escape with their lives," local NGO employee Adolfo Manuel told AFP.
'Terrorist attack'
The Mozambique defence force confirmed what it said was a "terrorist attack" in Meluco, which is roughly 150 kilometres (100 miles) south of the border with Tanzania. It did not give details.
In response, "troops have been mobilised to neutralise the insurgents, who continue to threaten the safety of the local population", it said.
Mozambican soldiers were operating with Rwandan forces, it said.
Rwanda and neighbouring countries deployed troops to the area in 2021 after militants launched an insurgency in 2017. Close to 5,800 people have been killed.
Gas deposits
The new operation "aims to identify and dismantle terrorist hideouts, to boost stability in the region", the military said.
Vast offshore gas deposits were discovered in Cabo Delgado in 2010. The insurgency has stalled their development.
TotalEnergies, which suspended a giant gas project there after a major attack in 2021 in which dozens of people were killed, said this month its project would only resume when "peace and security" return to Cabo Delgado.
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