Mozambique: President urges new police chief to combat kidnappings and terrorism

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Mozambique: President urges new police chief to combat kidnappings and terrorism

12:54 CAT | 27 Jan 2025

Photo: Notícias

President of Mozambique Daniel Chapo today urged the new police chief to combat kidnappings and terrorism, and called for the restoration of trust between society and members of the police force.

“Everyone is aware that terrorism, kidnappings, money laundering, incitement to violence, violent demonstrations, compliance with illegal orders, disobedience and other types of crimes are some of the most visible threats to order (…), and therefore combating and eradicating them must be a priority,” President Chapo said.

The Mozambican president today (27-01) swore the new commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Joaquim Adriano Sive, replacing Bernardino Rafael, and demanded that organized crime be combated in order to restore peace in Mozambique.

“No result is achieved without discipline and, as the PRM is a paramilitary institution, whose discipline is vertical, it is up to you, dear commander, to instil discipline in your members, always bearing in mind that leadership by example produces the best results,” Daniel Chapo commented.

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The Mozambican head of state also asked the new police commander to be proactive, and be guided by the continuous analysis of the various types of crimes, including the identification of new threats.

“We expect an increasingly humanized police force where discipline and poise are the hallmark,” President Chapo said, promising to equip the country’s defence and security forces with the means to combat organized crime.

Joaquim Adriano Sive had previously served as provincial commander of the PRM in Sofala, Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces.

In statements to the media after taking office, Commander Sive promised to restore trust in the police and to stop organized crime, with a focus on kidnappings.

“One of the pressing issues that plague our society is kidnapping. We will continue to fight this crime, certain that we must have capable people within our institution,” said the new commander, promising Mozambicans public order and security.

“We have to regain the trust of the population, because we can have thousands of police officers, enough vehicles, but if we don’t have the comfort and the support of the population, there is little or nothing we can do,” he concluded.

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Around 150 businesspeople have been kidnapped in Mozambique in the last 12 years and many have left the country out of fear, according to the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), which argues that it is time for the government to say “Enough is enough!”.

Mozambican police had by March 2024 recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnappings, and at least 288 people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime since 2011, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda previously announced.

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