Renamo Accused of Kidnap and Murder in Gorongosa, Mozambique

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Renamo Accused of Kidnap and Murder in Gorongosa, Mozambique

9:24 CAT | 22 Jan 2016

Jornal Notícias / A photo of the funeral of Paulo Tomo José, 'Régulo' of Muzuangunguny.

The administrator of the central Mozambican district of Gorongosa, Manuel Jamaca, has accused Renamo of kidnapping 16 people in recent weeks and dragging them off to Renamo bases in the Gorongosa bush.

Interviewed in Thursday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”, Jamaca said that only three of these victims had returned alive, and the others are feared dead. He accused Renamo gunmen of murdering and abducting people linked to the ruling Frelimo Party, and turning this into a racket, demanding ransoms of 3,000 to 4,000 meticais (between 65 and 88 US dollars, at current exchange rates).

He added that if Renamo gunmen find anyone with a mobile phone on the slopes of the Gorongosa mountain range, they are tortured and accused of transmitting information to the government about the whereabouts of Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama. Jamaca believed that Dhlakama is constantly on the move between Gorongosa, Maringue and Cheringoma districts.

Bodies, believed to be those of victims of Renamo, are being found in these districts. The most recent case, Jamaca said, was two bullet-ridden bodies, in an advanced state of decomposition, found in the Kanda area of Gorongosa.

The latest murder was that of a traditional chief, Paulo Tomo Jose, who was gunned down by men believed to be members of the Renamo militia at about 01.00 on Tuesday morning in the Gorongosa locality of Muzuangunguny.

Relatives of the murdered chief who witnessed the attack said it was carried out by three armed men wearing Renamo uniforms. One carried an AK-47 assault rifle, while the others were armed with pistols. They were accompanied by a fourth man in plain clothes who was not carrying a gun. The murderers shot three times, hitting Tomo Jose twice in the chest and once in the leg.

His wife, Lurdes Candeeiro, said the episode began when the Renamo men knocked insistently on the door of the chief’s home. When she opened the door, she was assaulted and the assailants demanded to know where her husband was.

Tomo Jose had hidden under the bed, but when he saw his wife under threat he left his hiding place and was immediately shot. The gunmen then left, and were believed to be heading for a Renamo base at Dhimba, in the neighbouring district of Gorongosa.

Tomo Jose was still alive. His family called for help from the neighbours, but nobody came to his assistance, perhaps because they feared reprisals from the gunmen. The chief died where he had fallen, on the floor of his house.

Local residents told “Noticias” they had heard the Renamo men saying they had to deal with the chief because his mobilization of the population in support of the government left Renamo no room for manoeuvre in Muzuangunguny.

The head of the locality, Elias Eugenio, said a rumour had been spread that Tomo Jose was accommodating members of the riot police at his home who intended to attack Renamo militiamen. In December, the government publicly denied this rumour at a meeting which involved representatives of the government, Frelimo, Renamo and the second opposition force, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM).

As local tradition demanded, Tomo Jose was buried later on the day of the assassination. The funeral was not held until about 20.00, because the mourners were waiting for the coffin provided by the Sofala provincial government.

Source: AIM