New clashes in Gorongosa: At least one dead, as Armed Forces does not confirm casualties

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New clashes in Gorongosa: At least one dead, as Armed Forces does not confirm casualties

5:18 CAT | 18 Feb 2016

In file Club of Mozambique / Military on their way to Gorongosa in 2013.

Around one o’clock on Wednesday morning (February 17), a group of gunmen attacked a checkpoint of the defense and security forces (FDS) in Gorongosa village, Sofala province, Mozambique.

There were reports of at least one dead among the attackers, and Manuel Jamaca, Gorongosa district administrator, has told Lusa that the defence and security forces also suffered one casualty, unconfirmed by the FDS as yet. An unknown number were wounded in the attack.

The police attributed the attack to the armed wing of Renamo, the largest opposition party in Mozambique, as Siddi Paulo, spokesman to the PRM provincial command in Sofala explained.

“Today (Feb 17), armed Renamo men attacked defence and security forces (FDS) manning a checkpoint at the entrance of Gorongosa village. The FDS promptly returned fire. We can confirm that one Renamo gunman was killed.

“The situation on the ground remains calm and under control. The FDS remain on the ground to assess the damage.”

No details about the intention of the gunmen were offered.

The checkpoint is manned by police officers, traffic and border police and defence force personnel. It was set up early in 2013 at the start of the rising political and military tension in the region.

The checkpoint’s function is to oversee the movement of persons and vehicles in the area at a time when Mozambican army and Renamo armed forces have clashed in the mountainous district, habitual refuge of Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Renamo.

Deutsche Welle (DW) Africa has tried to get a comment from Renamo about the incident, but without success. The head of the largest opposition party for the region, Horacio Calavete, has not been seen in public since he announced Renamo’s decision to set up checkpoints along certain roads in the central region of Mozambique.

On Monday (February 15) a Frelimo neighbourhood secretary (secretário de bairro) in Chirassicua, Tica administrative port, Nhamatanda district, in the central province of Sofala, was shot dead by alleged Renamo men. This took place a day after Manuel Domingos Fortunato, Renamo member of the Sofala provincial assembly, reappeared, saying he had been kidnapped by members of the GOE (Emergency Operations Group), the special forces unit of the Mozambican police.

Attacks on civilian vehicles on the main roads of central Mozambique last week were attributed to Renamo.

Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, who had not been seen in public since October, also reappeared last Thursday (February 11) at the Renamo base in Gorongosa. Renamo has pledged to begin governance in the six provinces where it claims to have won the 2014 elections by the end of March.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has reiterated his availability to meet the leader of Renamo, but Afonso Dhlakama believes that there is nothing to talk about, Frelimo having rejected Renamo’s request for a revision of the constitution to make possible the creation of the new autonomous administrative regions demanded by the opposition, and saying that dialogue would only now resume after Renamo had taken power in the centre and north of the country.

Source: DW Moçambique