At least five soldiers were killed, two injured and one missing after armed men attacked a military depot in central Mozambique, the armed forces said on Monday.

The surprise attack took place in Dondo district in central Sofala province at around 4:00 p.m. local time and the attackers could not be immediately identified.

The injured soldiers, who are being treated in a hospital in Beira, 30 km away from the arms depot, told local media that the armed men stole a number of weapons and provoked an exchange of fire.

District officials said the clash sent residents fleeing homes to avoid being caught in the exchange of fire.

In an online report, independent media "Averdade" attributed the attack to the country's main opposition Renamo which had been blamed for previous attacks on military targets.

Renamo has not yet responded to the accusation.

In March, four riot police and a former Renamo rebel commander were killed in a deadly clash in Sofala after the armed men initiated a surprise attack at a military base.

Sofala is the stronghold of the opposition, which had been fighting a guerrilla war against the government for 16 years after a peace deal was signed in 1992. But in recent years, the former rebel forces have been accusing the government of not honoring its commitments and repeatedly threatens another war if the government does not respond to its concerns.

Talks between the two sides, which have gone through its sixth round, have not yet yielded any breakthrough.