Illegal occupation of Mozambican land by Malawians reported in Chala border region, Niassa
Watch: TVM revives video of doubtful authenticity – AIM report
7:21 CAT | 02 Jun 2018
Photo: Ntatenda
The Mozambican public television broadcaster, TVM, has been accused of using a fake video to illustrate its story on the latest islamist atrocities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
On Sunday a gang, believed to be Islamic fundamentalists, attacked two villages in Palma district, and beheaded ten people.
On Wednesday night, TVM illustrated these attacks with footage showing a group of five men, their faces covered, and brandishing what appear to be AK-47 assault rifles.
In this short video, one of the men, speaking in Mozambique’s official language, Portuguese, claims that the group’s cause has divine support, and will therefore be successful. He invited all “Mozambican brothers” to join the group in its fight against “the demon” which is supposedly obstructing “the laws of Allah”.
So had TVM somehow obtained footage of the men who committed the beheadings?
Not at all! For this video is at least four months old. Careful journalists who watched the TVM report could see that the video is identical to one that surfaced in January.
BREAKING: Mozambique’s state TV shows fake video claiming murders in Cabo Delgado – Ntatenda
At the time the Mozambican police could not confirm the authenticity of the video, much less the identity of the men it shows.
National police spokesperson Inacio Dina told a February press briefing that citizens should exercise vigilance and keep calm when faced with supposed information on social media which may have been posted there just “to manipulate public opinion”.
“Social media are a platform which many ill-intentioned people use”, and that could be the case with this video, he said.
“We are not saying that what circulates on social media is false”, he added. “As for this video, we do not confirm its authenticity or origin, or the identity of the people it shows. Mozambique is not the only country where Portuguese is spoken”.
Yet TVM had no scruples about using the video again this week, without reminding its viewers of the police doubts as to its authenticity, or informing that that it first appeared on You Tube on 25 January.
TVM retirou da sua página a edição do Telejornal do dia 30 de Maio de 2018
— Tomás Queface (@tomqueface) June 1, 2018
TVM exibe falso vídeo de reivindicação dos ataques em Palma, Cabo Delgado #Palma #Moçambique https://t.co/wjgfHQ99Nt
— Ntatenda (@ntatendana) May 31, 2018
Source: AIM
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