Mozambique: PM calls on prisons chief to reduce overcrowding, improve conditions

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Mozambique: PM calls on prisons chief to reduce overcrowding, improve conditions

8:42 CAT | 19 Mar 2025

"Despite the ongoing efforts to improve the management of our country's prisons, prison overcrowding continues to be one of the main challenges facing our system," said the prime minister, Maria Benvida Levi, after swearing in Ilídio Miguel as the new director-general of SERNAP. [Photo: Ministério da Justiça, Assuntos Constitucionais e Religiosos ]

Mozambique’s prime minister on Monday asked the newly appointed director-general of the National Prison Service (SERNAP) to act to reduce overcrowding in prisons and to humanise the services, in comments at the ceremony in Maputo at which he took office.

“Despite the ongoing efforts to improve the management of our country’s prisons, prison overcrowding continues to be one of the main challenges facing our system,” said the prime minister, Maria Benvida Levi, after swearing in Ilídio Miguel as the new director-general of SERNAP.

The prime minister called on the new director to improve the conditions of prisons and their staff, including the promotion of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for inmates.

“As a government, we will continue to support SERNAP by strengthening oversight mechanisms and ensuring that the sector’s policies are aligned with the principles of justice, security and respect for human rights,” said Levi.

The new director-general promised action to curb prisoner escapes, emphasising that “this necessarily involves guaranteeing security.

“We are going to study the existing conditions to make this recommendation to ensure security effective,” said Ilídio Miguel, also promising to ensure human rights within prisons.

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On 25 December of last year, 1,534 inmates escaped following riots in the Special Maximum Security Penitentiary and Maputo Provincial Penitentiary establishments, located more than 14 kilometres from the centre of the capital.

During the rebellion, 35 people died, according to SERNAP, which announced in January that 332 inmates had been recaptured.

Also in the district of Gorongosa, in Sofala province, in the centre of the country, 200 inmates escaped from jail on 3 February, the local administrator, Pedro Mussengue, told Lusa, blaming a group of demonstrators protesting against the cost of living.

Mozambique has been wracked by widespread unrest since October, with demonstrations and stoppages called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the official results of the 9 October elections, which handed victory to Daniel Chapo of the governing Frelimo party.

The protests, which are now on a smaller scale, have been taking place in different parts of the country and, as well as contesting the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

Since October, at least 353 people have died in the violence, including around two dozen minors, according to the Decide Platform.

The Mozambican government has confirmed the deaths of at least 80 people, as well as the destruction of 1,677 commercial establishments, 177 schools and 23 health centres during the demonstrations.

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