Mozambican parliament rejects commission of inquiry into refugees in Malawi

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Mozambican parliament rejects commission of inquiry into refugees in Malawi

8:34 CAT | 13 Apr 2016

In File Club of Mozambique

Thanks to its majority seats at the parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party failed Monday a proposal from the main opposition to set up a parliamentary inquiry commission that would assess the status of Mozambican refugees in Malawi.

Frelimo defends its majority votes saying that the setting up of the commission is inappropriate and unnecessary, largely because the country’s attorney-general office is currently taking care of the situation.

Edson Macuacua, head of the commission for legal and constitutional affairs at the assembly said that even if such a commission was established and if criminal evidences were to be found it would only be referred to the public prosecutor office.

The MP from the county’s main opposition Renamo, Juliano Picardo, said it voted for because it is unclear that being true that the attorney-general office is taking care of the issue, there has not been any update on the subject for public consumption.

Mozambique Democratic Movement, the second main opposition, said that indicators make it clear that there is still no process by the attorney-general office on this subject, the reason why it voted for the establishment of the commission.

Around 11,000 Mozambicans have fled into Malawi from parts of Tete province that are on the border since last year. The main opposition accused the government of abandoning its citizens, an allegation that was immediately refuted by the Foreign Minister, Oldemiro Baloi.

Frelimo MPs found it strange that Renamo is demanding an inquiry commission to investigate the status of refugees that result from their violence in the central and other regions of the country.

“The solution is Renamo stop killing people,” said Carlos Sebastiao, Frelimo MP.

There are conflicting accounts of the reasons for the exodus along the border.

A few international human rights groups interviewed some refugees who said they had fled across the border because of atrocities committed by the police and armed forces in the Nkondezi area, on the border between Tete and Malawi.

But a Mozambican government team sent to Tete in March could find no evidence for abuses by the defence and security forces.

On the contrary, according to the leader of the team, Deputy Justice Minister Joaquim Verissimo, it found that the local population accused Renamo gunmen of persecuting, kidnapping and killing community leaders.

Source: Xinhua