The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, warned this Monday that no province in the country "is immune" to the action of "terrorists", pointing to the prevention and fight against armed groups as a priority.

"Terrorist actions can occur in any part of the national territory, no province can feel immune," said Nyusi, quoted by Lusa this Monday (23.01). The Mozambican head of state was speaking during the swearing in of the new deputy health minister, Ilesh Jani, and five new secretaries of state.

Filipe Nyusi said that even provinces that escape attacks by armed groups can be the scene of recruitment or sources of funding. In this sense, the priority for local governments must be to prevent and combat terrorism, since violence threatens the lives of the population and is a major obstacle to development, he continued.

Filipe Nyusi called on the new leaders to push ahead with the implementation of the country's anti-poverty and development programs.

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

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near the gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged in the south of the region and in neighboring Nampula province.

The conflict has already displaced a million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.