Mozambique: Police arrest three men for Manica armed attacks – AIM

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Mozambique: Police arrest three men for Manica armed attacks – AIM

8:00 CAT | 14 Oct 2019

Arnanca said the three include a former driver of Momade’s predecessor as President of Renamo, the late Afonso Dhlakama. The others hold the ranks of major and lieutenant in Renamo. He did not give their names. [Photo: STV]

The Mozambican police on Friday arrested three men who allegedly carried out armed attacks in Gondola distinct and elsewhere in the central province of Manica.

The head of the public relations department in the Manica Provincial Police Command, Mario Arnanca, told reporters in the provincial capital, Chimoio, that the arrests resulted from “work undertaken by the police in collaboration with the public”.

The police made the arrests “at about 14.00 in a remote area of Gondola”, and several branches of the defence and secuRIty forces had been involved in the manhunt, he said.

Arnanca accused the three of responsibility for attacks against trucks on the road from Beira to Chimoio, for the destruction of the car belonging to the Gondola district administrator last Tuesday, and for a murder in Mossurize district. He said the three had confessed to these crimes.

He described them as “Renamo armed men” – but did not make clear which part of the main opposition party he was talking about. For Renamo has split, with a group of dissidents, led by Mariano Nhongo, forming what they call the “Renamo Military Junta”.

The Junta describes the Renamo leader and presidential candidate, Ossufo Momade as “a traitor”, and claims that Nhongo is now the true leader of Renamo. It rejects the peace agreement that Momade signed with President Filipe Nyusi on 6 August.

Momade’s wing of Renamo has indignantly rejected any connection with ambushes on the roads, and it is generally regarded as more likely that the Junta carried out these attacks, particularly given Nhongo’s public threats to make the elections and the election campaign impossible. But in that same interview, Nhongo claimed that he does not control all his men – raising the possibility that the three men arrested in Gondola had gone freelance.

Aranca urged the public to remain vigilant and to denounce to the authorities any situations that might disturb public order and security.

“After the events of the recent days, the police are working at all strategic points to repel all actions by criminals”, he added.

Source: AIM