A total of 105 schools are still closed in districts affected by armed violence in northern Mozambique and at least 40 have reopened this year in light of the “relative security environment”, an official source announced.
Macomia district tops the list with the highest number of closed schools, a total of 35. It is followed by MocÃmboa da Praia (24), Nangade (8) and Palma (6), said Ivaldo Quincardete, provincial director of Education and Culture, in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, quoted by the media today.
“This year we have another 40 schools that have reopened in districts affected by terrorism, I am referring to Palma, MocÃmboa da Praia, Macomia, Nangade, Muidumbe and Quissanga, each of them managed to reopen schools that were closed last year”, said the official.
With the 40 schools reopened this year, the number of operational educational institutions in Cabo Delgado, a province affected by attacks by armed groups since 2017, rises from 867 to 907.
The provincial director of education also announced that free books are already being distributed to elementary classes in districts affected by armed violence.
Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.
The last major attack occurred on May 10 and 11 at the district headquarters of Macomia, with around a hundred insurgents looting the town, causing several deaths and heavy fighting with the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces and Rwandan military, who support Mozambique in the fight against the rebels.
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