Maputo — Over 135,000 people, who were forced to flee the district of Mocímboa da Praia, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, following terrorist attacks, have returned to their homes.

This was announced by the administrator of the district of Mocímboa Praia, Sérgio Cipriano, quoted by the public-owned Radio Mozambique.

According to the administrator, the return of the families is stimulated by the improvement of security in the region.

"Large parts which were previously abandoned are now beginning to be repopulated,' said Cipriano, also noting the return of population to Mbau administrative post and other communities in the central and northern regions of Mocímboa da Praia district.

Mocímboa da Praia is where armed groups carried out their first attack on 5 October 2017, and its main town was long described as the terrorists' headquarters.

Now, security has been restored leading to an influx of families from resettlement centres spread across neighbouring provinces.

After more than a year in the hands of terrorists, the town was looted, with virtually all public and private infrastructure destroyed, including public utilities such as electricity and water, telecommunications and hospitals.

A military offensive launched by government forces in 2021, with the support of Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community forces, allowed the government to retake control, and there are now under way several initiatives to rebuild infrastructure.

According to official estimates there are currently over 850,000 internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado due to the conflict, which also killed another 3,000 triggering a humanitarian crisis.