“Deceived and enticed for business in Cabo Delgado”: 40 men detained on their way “to buy sesame” – Mozambique

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“Deceived and enticed for business in Cabo Delgado”: 40 men detained on their way “to buy sesame” – Mozambique

3:09 CAT | 08 Jun 2018

DW / 40 national and foreign men detained by police

Police in the province of Nampula have detained around 40 individuals, both Mozambicans and foreign nationals, on their way to Palma, allegedly to join others who have been sowing terror in Cabo Delgado.

Provincial police commander Manuel Zandamela said they were being recruited with false promises of employment.

“Some of our brothers, sons and husbands were tricked and left to sell various products that we have. They were going to Cabo Delgado, so we came here to see what was actually happening,” he explained.

“I want to clarify here that they did not commit any crime, but they were only being deceived and enticed for business in Cabo Delgado,” Zandamela told people in Chalaua, Moma.

The people concerned absolutely deny Zandamela’s statements and claim that they are simply merchants on their way to purchase stock to sell.

One of the group, Namarinho Amaral, told DW Africa “We were not going to Mocímboa da Praia but to Namapa [in Nampula] to buy sesame,” one of the group, Namarinho Amaral, told DW Africa.”We left Chalaua and were detained in Nametil, where the Transit Police sent us back to go get a ‘guia de marcha’ (transit pass) that identified us as being on the way to Namapa to do shopping,” he said.

Young unemployed people

Lawyer Arindo Murririua says that the attacks in Cabo Delgado came after Mozambican authorities put a stop to illegal mining in Namanhumbiri, leaving many young people without work. He fears that these attacks may spread to other regions and says it is time for the government to identify the ringleaders and put an end to the situation.

“There are doubts about these young people who were caught in Moma. If the police say so, wee, it is a credible institution, but a serious investigation must be carried out to find out if they really were going to join any group or not. A guerrilla [campaign] does not come to an end in the bush, but at the table, with champagne, and efforts must be made to identify the group’s ringleaders, and then conduct negotiations to put an end to it, ” he said.