According to sources, the man's body was found by locals on Tuesday, in the agricultural production zone, almost 10 kilometres from the centre of the district headquarters of Macomia.

"We started searching on Saturday, one day after the rebels attacked our village, but unfortunately yesterday [Tuesday] morning we found the body in the production zone", described the victim's son, from Macomia.

The man was captured by terrorists on Friday, 10 May, during the attack by the insurgents, who entered the village shooting indiscriminately.

"He was captured by the terrorists, in the presence of his son, when they were trying to escape from them. They let the boy go and a few metres away you could hear screams, they had already killed him", described another family member.

The attack on the village of Macomia resulted in at least four deaths, according to local reports, in addition to the looting of shops and vehicles, which were taken to an unknown location.

The Ministry of National Defence confirmed on 10 May a "terrorist attack", during the early hours of the morning, on the village of Macomia, guaranteeing that one of the group's leaders was injured by the Armed Forces of Defence of Mozambique (FADM) and another killed.

"The attack lasted about 45 minutes and the terrorists were promptly repelled by the coordinated action of our forces, which forced the enemy to retreat, towards the interior of the administrative post of Mucojo", he said in a statement.

The ministry added that the attack took place at around 04:45 local time (03:45 in Lisbon) and that, in the "confrontation", the FADM "captured a terrorist and injured one of the leaders, known as 'Issa', who managed to escape, with no record of deaths or injuries on the part of the Armed Forces".

"Subsequently, the captured terrorist died from serious injuries", he said.

The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, had already confirmed, at the end of the morning of Friday, this attack on the district headquarters of Macomia, explaining that it happened in an area previously controlled by the military of the mission of the southern African countries, which is in a progressive withdrawal until July.

"It is true that it is an area occupied by our brothers who support us, in retreat. But those who are on the ground are 100% Mozambicans. Maybe there could be a reinforcement (...). As they are leaving, I hope that we can organize ourselves better, because the transition time allows for that", he acknowledged, praising the ongoing intervention of the Mozambican military.

Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion since October 2017 with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.

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