Armed attacks in Mocimboa da Praia: Court has already tried more than 100 defendants – report

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Armed attacks in Mocimboa da Praia: Court has already tried more than 100 defendants – report

12:52 CAT | 19 Nov 2018

Picture: AIM

A total of 114 detainees out of the 189 held in connection with the armed attacks in the district of Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, on 5 November last year, have already been tried by the Cabo Delgado Judicial Court.

According to court spokesman Zacarias Napatima, speaking more than a month after the trial opened, “the court already has knowledge that these are criminal individuals, that they have killed people, stolen war material and destroyed public assets and natural persons”.

According to Saturday’s edition of ‘Noticias’, the magistrate has said that everything was being done to conclude the process of hearing the defendants by the end of December, in order to proceed to the later stages such as the hearing witness evidence, among other matters, before sentence was read.

The 189 defendants, including nationals and foreigners, 42 of whom are women, are accused by the public prosecutor’s office of qualified homicide following death by means of firearms and knives, use of prohibited weapons, association to commit crimes against state organisations, instigation and provocation to collective disobedience and disturbing public order and tranquillity, among other crimes, which the accused deny.

According to court proceedings, since the attacks began on 5 October last year, the defendants, including 29 Tanzanians and three Somalis, have murdered more than 90 people, wounded more than 60 others, stolen 37 AK-47 type weapons and more than five thousand rounds of ammunition, destroyed assets belonging to the population and attacked the power of the state.

On Thursday, ‘O País’ reported that, a month after starting the trial and after hearing 114 defendants accused of participating in crimes against the people and organisations of the state, the court had discovered the origin and motivations of the group that continues to murder civilians in remote villages in the province, but could not disclose the truth for fear of prejudicing the trial.

Source: AIM Moçambique