Mozambican government will not tolerate “the merest hint” of traffic interruption by Renamo

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Mozambican government will not tolerate “the merest hint” of traffic interruption by Renamo

3:59 CAT | 15 Feb 2016

Lusa

The Mozambique Minister of the Interior said on Friday that the government would allow tolerate “the merest hint” of traffic interruption by Renamo, saying that police operations are now showing “positive results”.

“Not even the merest hint of traffic interruption on national roads will be tolerated,” said Basilio Monteiro, speaking at a press conference after the signing of a visa facilitation agreement between Angola and Mozambique with the Angolan minister of the Interior Ângelo de Barros.

The Mozambican police have accused Renamo [Mozambique National Resistance] of two attacks against vehicles in the administrative post of Muxungué in central Mozambique, where Afonso Dhlakama’s party has threatened to set up checkpoints if the alleged persecution of its members continues.

Stressing that it is the responsibility of the defence and security forces to ensure the public protection, the Interior Minister said that the authorities had been instructed to spare no effort to preserve the “threatened stability”, and characterised the behaviour of the attackers as “random”.

“Pursuit of those involved is already showing positive results,” Monteiro said, promised to give details of the operations later. “Our operations to ensure peace and stability will continue,” he added.

In recent months, Mozambique has seen an escalation of political violence, with reports of clashes between the military arm of Renamo and the defense and security forces and accusations of abductions and assassinations by both sides.

The Mozambican police have attributed three attacks on civilians in less than a month to the armed wing of the main opposition party.

The Renamo president Afonso Dhlakama has not been seen in public since October 9, when police invaded his residence in Beira to confiscate weapons in the third recent incident involving the opposition leader.

On 20 January, the Secretary-General of Renamo, Manuel Bissopo, was shot in the Beira neighbourhood of Ponta Gea. His bodyguard died on the spot. Nobody has been arrested in connection with the attack as yet.

Despite the declared willingness of Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi to negotiate, Renamo leader Dhlakama says he will talk only after taking power in the six northern and central provinces of the country where his movement claims victory in the general elections of 2014.

Source: Lusa