Mozambique: ‘Alarming proportion’ of femicide cases in centre region – Watch

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Mozambique: ‘Alarming proportion’ of femicide cases in centre region – Watch

1:14 CAT | 17 Jul 2025

Photo: TVM

President Daniel Chapo has called on the courts to pay attention to cases of female homicide [femicides] in the central region of the country, admitting that they are taking on “alarming proportions,” in a speech where he also urged people to stop taking “justice into one’s own hands”.

“We are concerned about the murders of women in Sofala [province in central Mozambique], which are taking on alarming proportions,” said the President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, at the inauguration of a judicial court in the Chibabava district of Sofala, in the centre of the country.

“Just to illustrate, in the first quarter of this year, six women were killed by their partners, compared to three in the same period last year, a 100% increase in the cases we are aware of,” said the head of state, noting that the courts “must pay attention to their educational role”.

“This type of behaviour has earned our vehement condemnation and condemnation, as it constitutes crimes that disrupt public order, tranquillity and safety, a practice that should not be promoted or tolerated by any Mozambican,” he added.

The Mozambican president also criticized what he considered “justice by one’s own hands,” which, he explained, is practiced by a group of citizens who believe they must address some type of crime, outside of legal institutions.

For Daniel Chapo, those who take “justice by one’s own hands” violate the physical and psychological integrity of victims, jeopardizing their lives. He demanded that criminal acts be tried only by judicial institutions.

“Trying to punish suspects on our own is not the solution. By proceeding this way, we do not solve the problem; quite the opposite. This wave of violence could generate even more violence within the community, creating a cascade effect, starting with the victims’ own families,” warned Daniel Chapo, also highlighting the risk of “discrediting the formal justice system” and generating “revenge upon revenge”.

“Individuals cannot, as some citizens claim, locate and punish people who have allegedly committed crimes, as there are institutions with this responsibility. Hence, we prioritize, among other things, the police-community relationship for preventing and combating conflicts,” he insisted.

In May, the Mozambican president announced the construction of 97 justice facilities and 10 penitentiaries by 2029, to bring law enforcement agencies closer to citizens and reduce overcrowding in the country’s prisons.

“We have set a five-year goal of building 97 justice facilities by 2029 (…), and we also intend to build 10 penitentiaries,” the head of state declared at the time.