Mozambique: 36 criminal cases opened last year related to Military Junta armed violence

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Mozambique: 36 criminal cases opened last year related to Military Junta armed violence

8:02 CAT | 28 Apr 2021

Photo: Domingo

Mozambican judicial authorities in 2020 instituted 36 criminal cases related to the armed attacks attributed to the self-proclaimed Renamo Military Junta, Attorney General of the Republic of Mozambique Beatriz Buchili said today.

That number represents a significant increase compared to 2019, a year in which nine cases were opened, Buchili told parliament during her annual report on legal oversight.

Of the 36 cases opened in the centre of the country, 32 were in the province of Sofala and four in the province of Manica.

In 2019, Sofala had registered only one case linked to the actions of the Renamo Military Junta, and Manica only eight.

Beatriz Buchili said that the organisation attacked buses and citizens on the roads, injuring and killing people, in addition to looting goods from the population.

“These armed actions in the centre of the country challenge the intervention of the judicial institutions in the investigation of cases due to the inaccessibility of the affected areas, particularly as regards the collection of evidence and the carrying out of expert examinations on the spot, as essential evidence for a fruitful investigation,” Buchili said.

In addition to taking action against the perpetrators of the attacks, the PGR defended the commitment to dialogue with the Renamo Military Junta, pointing out the experience that the country has already acquired in the peaceful resolution of military conflicts.

The ‘Junta Militar’ is a Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) splinter group which disputes the agreement to end armed violence in the country signed in 2019 between the Renamo leadership and the government.

The ‘Junta’, led by Mariano Nhongo, also opposes the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process. However, in recent weeks, important members of the group have reportedly ‘deserted’ and joined the peace agreement.

Mozambican authorities accuse the ‘Junta’ of causing the deaths of more than two dozen people in attacks on civilian targets in the centre of the country.

Source: Lusa