A Islamist insurgent group killed 52 people in Mozambique’s northernmost Cabo Delgado region, a police official said on Tuesday.
The number of victims is among the highest of any incident since the militants began staging attacks in the gas-rich area in October 2017.
Officials said the massacre – which occurred more than two weeks ago in Muidumbe district – was retribution after a group of youths had refused to be recruited by the insurgents.
The violence follows a series of high-profile attacks on major towns by the militants who security analysts say are gaining strength. Some of their attacks have been claimed by the so-called Islamic State.
At least 100,000 people have now been displaced in an area still struggling in the aftermath of the strongest storm ever recorded to hit the African continent – last April’s Cyclone Kenneth.
TNH spent a week in the region in November, reporting on the humanitarian fallout of the conflict. Read our coverage here, and look out for an upcoming report on the latest violence.
– Philip Kleinfeld
