Mozambique: Terrorists cause panic in Mecufi town - AIM report
The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) today repatriated 206 foreigners from Ethiopia, Malawi and Zimbabwe who had illegally entered the country in the province of Tete, according to PRM spokeswoman Lurdes Ferreira.
The illegal immigrants, seized by police over the weekend, were repatriated via Zobuè, in the Moatize district, Calomue in Angónia and Cuchamano in Changara district.
Changara borders Zimbabwe while Moatize and Angonia border Malawi, a country which, like Mozambique’s Tete province, is a corridor for illegal immigrants bound for South Africa in search of work.
“We have repatriated illegal immigrants in coordination with the Migration Services. They were being transported in trucks and vans, and were caught during inspections at checkpoints in Tete,” the police spokeswoman explained.
“They’ve fallen into our hands because we’ve been tightening the siege. They claim they are on their way to South Africa to look for work,” she said.
Ferreira said this was not the first time this year that the corporation had repatriated illegal immigrants, but the operation had involved particularly large numbers of people compared to previous instances.
“We remain on the look-out for people violating our border because it is a crime. We are not going to let this happen, which is why we closely inspect vehicles passing along National Road Number 7, which crosses our province at the Zobuè border with Malawi in the Moatize district, and another linking the Calomue border in Angonia, as well as the other road to the Cuchamano border post,” she explained.
The province of Tete has a long, unfenced border with Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, making it particularly porous to unofficial crossings.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.