Mozambique: Neighbourhood secretary murdered in Manica – AIM report

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Mozambique: Neighbourhood secretary murdered in Manica – AIM report

8:21 CAT | 02 Oct 2019

Mossurize district, in Manica central province. ]Map: Wikipedia]

Unknown assailants on Tuesday night murdered a neighbourhood secretary, who was a member of the ruling Frelimo Party, in Mossurize district, in the central province of Manica.

According to observers from the “Sala da Paz” (Peace Room) election observation coalition, the victim (who has not yet been named) was shot dead in his home, in the Paunde area, three kilometres from the headquarters of the Chiurairue administrative post.

The previous day a group of people previously unknown in the area appeared and asked who was responsible for the Frelimo election campaign. They drew up a list of at least four names, including the victim.

Hundreds of kilometres away, in Mossuril district, in the northern province of Nampula, on Monday a group of arsonists burnt down the Frelimo offices in the Lunga administrative post. There are, as yet, no clues as to the identity of the attackers. Frelimo has accused the main opposition party, Renamo, of responsibility for the attack.

Also on Monday, a group of supporters of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), riding on ten motor-cycles, ploughed into a Renamo rally in Dondo district, in the central province of Sofala, injuring 20 people.

According to the “Mozambique Political Process Bulletin”, published by the anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), the police who were escorting the Renamo rally arrested two of the MDM members, while the others fled.

On Saturday, also in Dondo, a group of MDM supporters threw stones at a crowd of Frelimo members gathered at their local party offices. Police were called to restore order, and detained two MDM supporters, who were released a couple of hours later.

On 26 September, the Dondo district police commander, Joao Moiane, was assaulted by MDM supporters because he had allegedly campaigned for Frelimo.

The incident occurred at a rally addressed by Florindo Nyusi, son of President Filipe Nyusi, who is running for a second five year term of office. Correspondents for the Bulletin reported that about two dozen young men in MDM T-shirts arrived at the rally, approached Moiane and began arguing with him. The rally was temporarily halted until a unit of riot police arrived and rescued Moiane.

The MDM claimed that it had requested police protection for its Dondo campaign, but the request was turned down allegedly because the district police command was short of staff. Hours later, the MDM found that Moiane was at the Frelimo rally, in civilian clothes and wearing a Frelimo cap.

Police officers have a duty to remain non-partisan during election campaigns. Moiane confirmed that he had indeed attended the rally, but said “I was just there to ensure safety”.

On Monday, according to the Bulletin, the Renamo information officer in Moatize district, in the western province of Tete, Inacio Razao, was beaten up by two Frelimo supporters, who forced him to remove his campaign T-shirt “Don’t you know we don’t want Renamo here?”, they allegedly said.

Renamo reported the case to the police, and those involved were summoned to a local police station on Tuesday. The outcome of this case is not yet known.

Source: AIM