The Mozambican army's deputy chief of staff on Sunday denied Amnesty International's accusations that the armed forces and a private security group were responsible for "
war crimes
" during the struggle against the jihadists in the northeast of the country.
Read also: Violence in Mozambique: "desperate" situation of the population, according to the UN
Armed groups, known as al-Shabab ("
young people
" in Arabic), have been sowing terror for three years in the strategic province of Cabo Delgado (North-East), predominantly Muslim, bordering Tanzania, rich in natural gas.
They beheaded villagers, kidnapped young women, also attacked barracks and police stations to provide themselves with arms and ammunition.
They pledged allegiance in 2019 to the Islamic State (IS) group.
The conflict has left at least 2,600 dead, more than half of them civilians, according to the NGO ACLED.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International claimed that residents of the area were "
caught between the Mozambican security forces, the private militia fighting alongside the government and the armed opposition group known locally as Al-Shabab - none of which does not respect the right to life nor the rules of war
”.
"
All three have committed war crimes, causing the death of hundreds of civilians,
" he said in a report.
General Bertolino Kapitine, deputy chief of staff of the Mozambican army, strongly refuted the allegations on Sunday.
"
Our mission is to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, we can not in any case mistreat our community,
" he told reporters during a visit organized for the press in Cabo Delgado.
“
This report was written by people who have never set foot in Mozambique,
” he said.
This is the first official reaction from the authorities since the publication of the report on Tuesday.
The deadly attacks in northern Mozambique, plagued by a jihadist insurgency for more than three years, have weakened considerably in recent weeks, a lull largely blamed on the intensification of the military response.