Residents of Palma, a small town in northern Mozambique, were forced to suddenly leave their homes and run for their lives, spending several days without food or water in the wild after a brutal attack by Islamic militants
JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2021) Residents of Palma, a small town in northern Mozambique, were forced to suddenly leave their homes and run for their lives, spending several days without food or water in the wild after a brutal attack by Islamic militants.
The assault began on March 24, and just in two days the Islamic insurgents have established full control of the town. Over 2,000 foreign workers and local residents fled from the militants into the nearby forests, crossing rough terrain to get to safety in the city of Pemba, the capital of the conflict-stricken Cabo Delgado province.
The UN Refugee Agency on Tuesday expressed "extreme concern" over the escalating violence against civilians in the terrorist-controlled territories as dozens of people have reportedly died in the clashes between factions and security forces.
"We heard a lot of fire, I don't know where my family members are, they walked more than 40 kilometers [25 miles], we crossed the insurgents' camp, the insurgents were not there, we went to Nhica do Rovuma. Four days without eating, we drank water from the rain pools," 26-year old Angelica Crizanto told her story to reporters.
Angelica's group managed to safely arrive at Pemba after contacting their colleagues in the provincial capital from Nhica do Rovuma.
Not everyone was that lucky. Fatu Abdula, another local from Pemba, told journalists that she had to travel five days through the forests as she escaped from the insurgents. During the arduous journey, the woman lost her three children.
While still in the forest, Fatu Abdula went into childbirth. Luckily, both the mother and the child survived despite receiving no medical help. The woman named her newborn boy after his father, who went missing during the attacks.
After wandering for five days in the forest, Fatu Abdula was finally rescued by a group of workers from one of the companies operating in the province and transported to the administrative post in Nhica de Rovuma. From there, she was transferred to a hospital in Pemba, where she at last received the long-overdue medical help.
According to the UN, over the next few days thousands of people are expected to flee the region in search of a safer place. The refugees will most likely require urgent medical and other aid. The UN Humanitarian Air Service has already been assisting the evacuation of the most vulnerable from Palma, but more efforts will be needed.
