Mozambican and Portuguese citizens to hold vigil in Lisbon against kidnappings in Mozambique

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Mozambican and Portuguese citizens to hold vigil in Lisbon against kidnappings in Mozambique

8:27 CAT | 22 Dec 2023

File photo: Câmara Municipal de Lisboa/ Facebook

A group of Portuguese and Mozambican citizens will hold a vigil against kidnappings in Mozambique in Lisbon on Saturday, calling for support from the authorities at a time when at least two people remain in captivity.

“Today, Thursday, we heard about a Portuguese-Mozambican citizen who had been in captivity for 50 days and was rescued in Maputo. But there are other people who remain separated from their family, so it is important to hold this vigil, to call for an end to the kidnappings and for the intervention of the authorities, as happened in this case,” a source from the organisers told Lusa.

The “Vigil against Kidnappings in Mozambique” announced this week is scheduled for December 23, at 12:00 noon, in Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon. According to the organisers, the objective is to appeal “to the authorities of Mozambique to take action and make every effort to rescue the victims.”

“And to the Portuguese authorities to provide the necessary and unconditional support within the scope of the usual collaboration between the two states, in the matter of the kidnappings of Portuguese and Mozambicans in Mozambique,” the announcement reads, adding that the situation “cannot continue”.

“For people’s safety, for the future and progression of the country. Each kidnapping is a family destroyed,” it adds.

Maputo has, for a few months now, been experiencing a new wave of kidnappings, especially of businesspeople, with two Portuguese-Mozambicans being targeted since November, and suspicions voiced of the possible involvement of agents linked to the police investigation in crimes of this type.

A petition launched on Tuesday, addressed to the governments of Mozambique and Portugal, calls for action to rescue citizens held captive, appealing to “not let these victims be forgotten”, and has already gathered almost 500 signatures.

On Thursday morning, Mozambican police arrested three people involved in the kidnapping of a 26-year-old Portuguese-Mozambican woman, who was held in captivity for 50 days, and are looking for a fourth gang member considered a key player in this and other cases.

The victim was kidnapped outside her house in the centre of Maputo on November 1st by three armed men. The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) subsequently confirmed that it was monitoring the case.

“This operation was not a paid ransom, but rather a rescue thanks to Sernic, in collaboration with other forces. (…) No ransom was paid to rescue this victim,” spokesman Hilário Lole revealed.

According to Sernic, efforts are still underway to try to identify “other individuals belonging to this gang”, taking into account that they might be involved in other kidnapping cases in the country.

According to the same source, there have already been six kidnappings in Maputo “which were executed”, and another five attempts, frustrated either by the intervention of the police, the intended victims, or even the public.

“Unfortunately we have two victims still in captivity,” Lole concluded.

Source: Lusa