An armed group launched an attack on the town of Awasse, located in the administrative post of Diaca, Mocimboa da Praia district, in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, on the night of Wednesday, October 23, according to local sources.
The attack began around 8 p.m., prompting residents to flee. “Awasse is under attack, everyone has fled. It’s devastating”, said a local source from the forest area. Reports indicate that the origin of the rebel forces remains unclear, and the attack caught both the community and the Defense and Security Forces by surprise, with indiscriminate gunfire erupting.
“We just heard gunshots everywhere. No one expected it, and everything happened so quickly,” said one fleeing resident, who spoke anonymously. While there are no confirmed reports of fatalities, the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces responded to the invasion, positioning themselves at the junction between the Mocimboa da Praia and Mueda districts, further north in Cabo Delgado.
“I don’t know if there were any casualties, but I managed to escape with my family,” another resident recounted. This is not the first time insurgents have targeted Awasse, a community situated along the EN380 national road, nearly 300 kilometers from Pemba.