Ministry of Defence of Mozambique: FDS will not tolerate Renamo assaults on the population

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Ministry of Defence of Mozambique: FDS will not tolerate Renamo assaults on the population

1:42 CAT | 19 Aug 2016

Notícias / Colonel Cristovão Chumbe, speaking to the press on Thursday, August 18, in Maputo

The Defence and Security Forces (FDS) will not tolerate the continuing of acts perpetrated by armed Renamo men that threaten the lives of the people, and have reiterated their determination to hunt them down to their last hiding place.

So said yesterday in Maputo, National Director of Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence Colonel Cristovão Chumbe, at a press conference where the Defence and Security Forces communicate their views on the current military-political situation in the country.

Chumbe said that his institution had decided to call journalists together to publicise the fact that the Ministry of National Defense had indeed noted the escalation of violent attacks by Renamo against the people, their property and public infrastructure.

According to the colonel, Renamo seems increasingly to be distancing itself from the line that its attacks are directed against the Defence and Security Forces.

“What we see today is that Renamo’s priority is to kill people and destroy all that they have,” he said.

In this context, one military official called on the Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama to immediately and unconditionally cease all attacks and to join in the efforts towards peace, collaborating in the ongoing process to arrange a meeting with the president the Republic, Filipe Nyusi.

Colonel Chumbe listed that armed attacks perpetrated by Renamo in the past two months. Thus, he said that in the early hours of yesterday armed men under Afonso Dhlakama’s command staged an attack on the town of Mepinha, administrative post headquarters of Morrumbala district in Zambezia province, but without casualties, “thanks to the prompt response of Defense and Security Forces”. However, damage to property was reported.

According to the Colonel, this attack came just hours after an encouraging degree of consensus was achieved in the Joint Commission.

“The work of the Joint Commission has filled Mozambicans with the hope that peace and tranquility will be restored as soon as possible. However, the attack, which occurred on the very same day (yesterday) is the latest in a series that has been perpetrated by armed Renamo men,” he said.

The National Director of National Defense Policy of the Defence Ministry then listed 17 attacks perpetrated by armed Renamo men in the period under discussion in Niassa, Zambezia, Tete, Manica, Sofala and Inhambane provinces, which had resulted in deaths and material damage.

“Generally speaking, the ‘modus operandi’ Renamo is to attack administrative posts in order to vandalise public infrastructure necessary for the population; ignite official documents against the interests of the population, and steal movable property,” he said.

He added that health centres were also attacked, medicines and medical and surgical equipment were stolen, and hospital property, ambulances and even material used in childbirth destroyed, endangering the lives of patients and health personnel.

Renamo also target prisons and release detainees, many of whom are involved in violent crimes against the people.

“In this situation, the FDS conclude that Renamo carries out such actions as a way to create terror in the population, deflect attention from political dialogue and maintaining instability in the country,” one military officer said, reiterating that Renamo conducts incursions in the country’s central region particularly, targeting the Muxungué-Save section of National Road number 1, where, in addition to placing barricades, and digging holes in the road, it robs private vehicles, taking goods from the occupants and extorting money.

Accordingly, the official said, the FDS strongly condemn such acts, which it considers barbaric.

“We call on the population to remain calm, stay firm, and be vigilant and cooperate with the FDS by denouncing any strange movement they might observe.”

Source: Notícias