At least five persons killed by elephants in Northern Mozambique

At least five people have been killed by elephants in in the Macomia region of northern Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique in what was an unexpected attack on farmers harvesting their crop.

Two children and a lady are among the victims. According to local sources, the victims are recent residents of the village who had previously been displaced.

Others who survived the elephant attacks eventually came back to see their relatives’ crumpled bodies.

Police spokesman Mário Adolfo described the attack as a situation of conflict between humans and wildlife adding that the victims were not in a protected area.

Since 2017, a terrorist insurgency that has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes has been centered in Cabo Delgado.

Although the Macomia neighborhood is close to the Quirimbas National Park, there haven’t been any elephant attacks in years, including during the time of the terrorist attacks.

Ansar al-Sunna, is regarded the main insurgent faction in Cabo Delgado but from mid-2018, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has allegedly become active in northern Mozambique as well, and claimed its first attack against Mozambican security forces in June 2019.