Macomia is one of the districts affected by terrorism and is located in the central part of Cabo Delgado province. In the district’s coastal zone, some villages in the administrative posts of Mucojo and Quiterajo have been abandoned due to the intense movement of terrorist groups.
Because of the strong presence of these groups in the region, many young people both men and women have lost their lives. Still, people continue to return to these areas in search of better living conditions. Being a coastal region, much of the population depends on fishing for survival. Despite the dangers, many insist on going back to the sea to fish, but not all of them return.
In the district headquarters, around 4 p.m. on the 30th, information was received about the deaths of two young men, natives and residents of Macomia town. Others, whose number remains unknown, disappeared in the forests between the villages of Namaluco, Napala, Machova, and Naunde, inside the Quirimbas National Park, in the mountains known as Oliveira.
This is a high-risk area, but according to local reports, the young men had gone hunting. Incidents of this kind are not new similar cases have happened before, and once they occur, it becomes extremely difficult to recover the victims’ bodies.
Access to the area is only possible by motorbikes and bicycles, as there are no roads for vehicles. People who frequently pass through such as hunters and meat traders say it is a zone controlled by terrorists. In some cases, those who are lucky encounter them and lose only their catch; those who are not, may never return.
The mentioned forests are extremely dangerous. Many hunters enter through Machova and proceed into the mountains within the Quirimbas Park. It is still unclear when exactly the incident occurred, but the bodies were discovered yesterday, after nearly a week missing.
By the morning of the 31st, the victims’ families were still trying to find ways to reach the site, aware of the risks involved. Such deaths have been more frequent among young men from the Makonde and Macua ethnic groups, particularly those who are not of the Muslim faith.
Local authorities and the district’s defense and security forces have repeatedly banned access to those areas, as they are routes used by terrorists to move between different zones. However, many residents continue to ignore the warnings often with tragic consequences.(Reported by BP)
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