Hundreds of people who fled the violence in the coastal Mozambican town of Palma and are currently in the Macimboa da Praia camp in Cabo Delgado, the country's northernmost province, miss their previous way of life and want things to get back to normal again, the attack survivors told Sputnik
PEMBA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2021) Hundreds of people who fled the violence in the coastal Mozambican town of Palma and are currently in the Macimboa da Praia camp in Cabo Delgado, the country's northernmost province, miss their previous way of life and want things to get back to normal again, the attack survivors told Sputnik.
A Sputnik correspondent visited one of the main refugee camps in the province's Mutege district that hosts not only those who fled violence in Palma but also survivors of attacks by Al-Shabab, a terrorist organization operating in East Africa and linked to al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia), in Mozambique's far north early last year. It has sheltered 588 people crowded in small tents. Though these people try to hold on � children play at one of the camp's sites while adults sit all day long and play cards hoping that one day they will return home � the reality is stark and reflects the disaster that Al-Shabaab has brought upon the people of Mozambique.
"The only concern I can express is that people have different sufferings there ... people often complained that they are bored and have nothing constructive to do. Every day was the same. The level of depression and irritation is high and I cannot wait for the day when all this shall come to pass," the camp leader, Jamal Abubu, told Sputnik.
Daniel Abudala from the province's Quissanga is one of the earliest survivors who had made it alive to the Macimboa da Praia camp. He arrived at the center with his wife and child last May at the height of the ongoing attacks in Cabo Delgado. Commenting on his stay in the camp, he told Sputnik that he was unhappy there because they had been removed from their homeland.
"Prior to all the fighting and coming here, I was a farmer. I was producing all things vegetables. If I had an opportunity to go back home, I would like to acquire land because ours was destroyed. When the fights began I was in my house and when I heard the screams and gunfire from the streets I then took my wife and kid and we ran for dear life. I carried my kid on my back and we hid in the bushes. My wife had with her only flour and we had to look for water to make it and eat along the way. We walked for about 17 kilometers until we were saved in Nacoba by the army who brought us here by boat," Abudala said.
Another survivor, Awa Tuaibo, also arrived at the camp last year from Quissanga. While she was trying to escape the violence with her family, one of the children was shot dead by terrorists.
"We made it by foot, we ran, and ran, and ran, sleeping in the bushes for three days. Before we came here, my family owned land, and it was destroyed. I used to bake bread and sell it. I was like the community baker. I do not feel well here. I am forever worried. I cannot wait to hear the government telling us that peace has arrived and we can go back to our homes. Here, at the center, there is nothing to do. We sit under the tree and play games all day. I miss baking. I cry all the time and pray that life goes back to normal," she told Sputnik.
Regina Ivis arrived at the center from the port town of Mocimboa da Praia last August when terrorists ravaged it. As a result of the attacks, she lost her blood brothers and other relatives, while she, her husband and children made it safe after days of hiding in bushes.
Though life in the camp is difficult, she felt fine now, the survivor added.
