A South African private military firm hired by the Mozambican government to fight an insurgency has been indiscriminately attacking civilians, a report released Tuesday by Amnesty International said.

The report, ‘What I Saw Is Death: War Crimes in Mozambique’s Forgotten Cape,’ accused the government, its foreign allies, and insurgents of killing hundreds of civilians and maiming, torturing, and raping many others in the restive northern province of Cabo Delgado.

“The testimony we have gathered reveals a pattern of repeated, reckless targeting by Dyck Advisory Group,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

The rights group interviewed 79 witnesses to document atrocities committed in Cabo Delgado since an Islamist insurgent group, known locally as Al-Shabaab, mounted an offensive in the resource-rich region in 2017.

Fifty-three witnesses said Dyck Advisory Group fired machine guns from helicopters and dropped hand grenades indiscriminately into crowds of people, as well as repeatedly fired on hospitals, schools, and homes.

“By firing indiscriminately into crowds, attacking civilian infrastructure, and failing to distinguish between military and civilian targets, they have clearly violated international humanitarian law.

“They must now be held accountable for their actions,” Mr. Muchena said. 

Over 1,300 civilians have been killed since the start of the conflict, according to data provided by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

The United Nations estimates that the fighting had displaced 530,000 people, nearly half of them children. 

(Sputnik/NAN)