Mozambique: Two murder victims in Matola were senior police officers – Watch

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Mozambique: Two murder victims in Matola were senior police officers – Watch

12:36 CAT | 03 Jul 2025

Screen grab: Miramar

The Mozambican Police (PRM) have confirmed that the two individuals shot dead on Wednesday morning in the region of Manduca, in Infulene neighbourhood, in the southern municipality of Matola, were senior police officers.

The victims in question are António Domingos Cavalo, chief police inspector assigned to the seventh precinct in Maputo city and Abílio Janeiro, an operational agent, assigned to the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) brigade, also in the seventh precinct.

According to Police spokesperson, Cláudio Hulele, speaking to reporters at a press conference, the two senior police officers were shot dead with 54 bullets. During the attack, a 78-year-old woman was also hit by a stray bullet and taken urgently to hospital.

“The victims were driving a Toyota Auris when they were intercepted by two vehicles, a Toyota Ractis and another unspecified vehicle. The criminals used AK-47 assault rifles to shoot the victims. Our preliminary figures indicate that they fired 54 bullets”, Hulele said.

The spokesperson guaranteed that the Police is now working in order “to identify, arrest and hold accountable the criminals. We also call on the population to denounce any situation related to this case.”

According to an eye-witness cited in Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, one of the victims attempted to escape. At least two of the gunmen, without any fear of being photographed or filmed, left their cars and continued pumping bullets into the wounded officer, as he tried to flee.

The second officer was driving the vehicle, and he had no chance of escaping. He was killed as he sat at the steering wheel.

READ: Mozambique: Two shot dead in Matola – Watch

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Last June, a senior police officer was shot dead in the same circumstances in Nkobe neighbourhood, also Matola municipality. The police confirmed this case after they had initially refused to admit it.

Meanwhile, the former General Commander of the PRM, Bernadino Rafael, has been summoned to the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) next Monday to answer questions arising from complaints by civil society organisations, who argue that the PRM brutally violated human rights in their repression of the unrest that followed the declaration of the results of last October’s general elections, widely regarded as fraudulent.

At least 300 people died in the protests and thousands were injured. Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by police bullets.