Defense Minister Cristóvão Chume warned on Wednesday that the death of the terrorist leader in Cabo Delgado could provoke violence with "revenge attacks" by armed groups, such as the massacre of the beheading of 12 Christians in Mocímboa da Praia.

According to Cristóvão Chume, quoted by Lusa, the government is aware that the death of the operational commander of the terrorist actions, Mozambican Bin Omar, and another of his leadership structures, is a "notable operational tactical gain", but does not "mean the end of terrorism".

"Immediately after his death, we were completely sure that they would take revenge, somewhere in Cabo Delgado province, for what happened with the beheading of 12 people in the district of Mocímboa da Praia, we still expect some escalation, but we can guarantee that we will continue to fight," Chume reiterated.

The minister added that the forces are "putting operational pressure on the terrorists, especially in the Macomia district, which currently has the highest incidence of terrorist activity", but challenges of a human and material nature remain.

However, he asked the European Union and the United States for lethal material to strengthen the national and international effort to combat terrorism, as well as striking blows in the areas of group financing.

For his part, the European Union ambassador to Mozambique, Antonino Maggiore, assured that the organization will continue to strengthen its tactical and combative capacity by training more Mozambican troops in the fight against terrorism.

The diplomat, who was speaking at the international symposium on "Mobilizing Collective Intelligence to Combat and Prevent Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Africa - African Solutions to African Problems", which is taking place in Maputo, also reaffirmed the commitment to help those displaced by the conflict.

João Pereira, executive director of the Mecanismo de Apoio a Sociedade Civil (MASC) Foundation, which is organizing the symposium, said that terrorism has become a struggle that has reached unprecedented levels and is testing the capacity of states to provide security.