Militants attack second town in gas-rich region

Islamist insurgents have attacked a second town in the gas-rich northern province in Mozambique where foreign companies are working on a $60bn (£52bn) natural gas project.

The militants attacked the town of Quissanga at dawn on Wednesday, two days after they attacked Mocimboa de Praia town in the province of Cabo Delgado.

The district police headquarters was raided and destroyed during the attack, the AFP news agency reports quoting a police officer.

The BBC'S Jose Tembe says photographs of the attack are circulating on WhatsApp. One shows a group of eight masked men posing triumphantly in front of the Quissanga district police headquarters.

The latest attack occurred despite the presence of the ministers of defence and the interior in the area. They were dispatched to the province following Monday’s attack.

The authorities are yet to comment on the latest attack.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced during the three-year insurgency in Cabo Delgado. The government has battled to curb the insurgency, despite support from a Russian military company.