Maputo — More than 600 hostages have been freed by the Rwandan military contingent together with their Mozambican counterparts and the forces of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique.

According to a statement released by the Rwanda Defense Force on August 2, the liberation is the result of offensive operations to destroy terrorist bases in the Catupa forest, northeast of the Macomia district based in the Cabo Delgado province.

"The terrorist groups of the Islamic State in Mozambique (IS-MOZ) have been forced to flee to the localities of Nkoe and Nguida in the same district as they are still being tracked by the joint forces", the statement said. However, rebel formations continue to threaten villages and the main roads of the province. On August 1, terrorists attacked a column of vehicles from the Oasse area without an escort from the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) on the stretch between Nova Zambézia and Vida Nova, resulting in the death of one of the drivers of the vehicles. In the seven weeks from June 1 to July 21, 90 attacks were recorded, almost two per day. The number of displaced people who fled their homes as a result of the war reached 946,508, an increase of 161,944 since February. Of these, 83,983 people fled attacks in the Ancuabe and Chiure districts in June as the war spread south, leading to a worsening of the humanitarian situation in southern Cabo Delgado. Of these, according to the IOM (International Organization for Migration) 138,231 were able to return home.

The propaganda of the Islamic State in Mozambique insists on giving a religious dimension to the conflict. After the July 26 assault on the village of Nangade, the terrorists claimed responsibility, claiming that they "beheaded three Christians".