The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) arrested 15 young people suspected of being recruited for rebel groups that have been terrorizing the north of the country for five years, a source from the corporation announced on Tuesday.  

The 15 young men, aged between 18 and 26, were found with uniforms and some military equipment, gathered in a house in the Cariacó neighborhood in the city of Pemba, the police said.

"They claim they were there practicing a sect of Islam, which was strange for the neighbors" who denounced the group, said Mário Arnança, spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Cabo Delgado.

The residence where the youths were meeting belongs to a former prison guard, the PRM said, adding that three of the detainees were then going to Tanzania for alleged training.

Mário Arnança thanked the people for their cooperation and asked the whole province to report suspicious situations.

"In the same way that the Cariacó neighborhood collaborated with the police, we would like all our neighborhoods to remain in cohesion with the authorities," said the police spokesman quoted by Lusa.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.