Cabo Delgado Governor Valige Tauabo confirmed on Friday the rebel attack in the Chiúre district, forcing the population to evacuate, but security forces are restoring order.

“In Chiúre, there were some incursions, the forces on site were on standby, but the attack did not stop.”

“Order needs to be restored and the population in some villages has had to leave for safe areas.”

“But there is protection from the Government and the Defense and Security Forces”.

Several residents of two towns in the Chiúre district of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, also reported new attacks by suspected rebel groups on Thursday, causing the population to flee.

"This is wrong, terrorists are attacking”, they said, from the main town of Chiúre, after fleeing on foot, following the attacks that occurred in the communities of Chiúre Velho and Mazeze.

Chiúre district administrator Oliveira Amimo said rebel groups attacked two locations Thursday morning but were repelled by defense forces, ensuring the district headquarters was not occupied.

"The terrorists have already been repelled by the Mozambican Defense Forces. They are no longer in the district."

"Practically all [the villages] were affected. We're talking about hundreds of families.".

The district administrator of Chiúre reported, adding that during the attacks the rebel groups burned homes and the local police command, but did not occupy the district headquarters of Chiúre.

The commander of the coastal police in Cabo Delgado province, Francisco Lafo, guarantees greater control of territorial waters in the face of various threats, including terrorism.

“We are prepared to guarantee safety in our waters in the province of Cabo Delgado and beyond.”

“We have coastal police, we have the Mozambican navy, we work together to ensure security in our waters”.

Mozambican government authorities, through the Provincial Director of Youth, Employment and Sports in Cabo Delgado, Jonas Abujade, are warning citizens not to allow themselves to be recruited by terrorists through promises of work.

“Any job that someone offers you to recruit you, without the government’s knowledge, is dubious, you must report it!”.

Located about 140 kilometers from the city of Pemba, the provincial capital, Chiúre is one of the districts targeted by the rebels.

The gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion since 2017, resulting in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people displaced.

At least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in northern Mozambique in 2024, a 36% increase compared to the previous year, according to a study released in February by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS).

According to that academic institution of the Department of Defense of the North American Government that studies issues related to security in Africa, this “recovery of violence levels” in Mozambique “reflects the strategy” of the ASWJ group — an ISIS affiliate, operating in the province of Cabo Delgado — from “widen the conflict, moving inland and into more rural areas".

The resurgence of violence in Cabo Delgado poses a new challenge to Mozambican authorities and the international community. The province, rich in natural resources such as gas, continues to be a source of instability and suffering for its population.

Pressure on the state to contain the jihadist advance is growing, and time is running out for an effective response. Peace in northern Mozambique remains a distant mirage for thousands of families living under constant threat.