At least three dead in jihadist-hit northern Mozambique

At least three people have been killed in clashes with suspected Islamist insurgents in northern Mozambique, including two employees of Australian mining firm Triton Minerals, according to new tolls issued on Tuesday.

Triton said its Ancuabe graphite mine had come under attack on June 8. The mine is about 45 kilometres (30 miles) west of Pemba, capital of the northern province Cabo Delgado, where the insurgency erupted in 2017.

“As a consequence of the attack, two of our security/caretaker staff were fatally injured,” the company said in a statement.

A day later, southern African regional military forces staged an attack on insurgents in a forest in Macomia district, north of Pemba.

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“During the joint operation, terrorists were killed and other suffered severe injuries,” the mission said in a statement.

The military forces suffered one death and six injuries, it added.

More than 4,000 people have been killed since 2017, according to the conflict watchdog ACLED, while 820,000 have been forced from their homes.

More than 3,100 troops from several African countries deployed in the gas-rich province from July last year and have retaken much of the territory.

Diplomatic and humanitarian officials say the insurgents have since split into three groups.

One of them staged several attacks this month in Macomia, forcing aid groups to limit their operations.