Video of soldiers burning corpses “horrific” – Amnesty

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Video of soldiers burning corpses “horrific” – Amnesty

4:36 CAT | 12 Jan 2023

File photo: Lusa

A viral video showing soldiers burning corpses in Cabo Delgado is yet another “horrific event” that “gives a glimpse” of what is going on in this “forgotten war” in Mozambique, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

“Tragically, it appears that incidents of violence against civilians, extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law are still occurring, as previously documented by Amnesty International,” Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s director for East and Southern Africa, said.

At issue is a video, released on social media, which shows soldiers allegedly from the South African army and unknown others throwing corpses onto a burning pile of rubbish, an episode that resulted in the opening of an investigation by the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

“The burning of what appear to be dead bodies by soldiers is deplorable and is likely a violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the mutilation of corpses and requires that the dead be disposed of in a respectful manner,” Chagutah added.

Amnesty argues that the Mozambican forces and SAMIM “should launch a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of these killings and the burning of the bodies, and anyone against whom there is sufficient admissible evidence should be prosecuted in fair trials”.

According to the official, “security in Cabo Delgado must not come at the cost of human rights violations”.

The incident has already been condemned by the two Mozambican opposition parties with seats in parliament, which repudiated the “cruelty” and called for “respect for human rights”.

“We want to express our repudiation of this cruelty. There is no reason to perpetrate violence of this level,” José Manteigas, spokesman for the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the largest opposition party in Mozambique, told Lusa.

Spokesman for the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), Ismael Nhacucue, told Lusa that “when [the military] film this type of act and publish it, they demonstrate smallness and indifference to the real problem of terrorism, that is, they act like terrorists. And this cannot be allowed”.

The MDM calls for an “exhaustive investigation” and for the “masterminds of [this] barbarity” to be held accountable, warning that the military’s attitude could create “hatred and the will to retaliate” in insurgent groups.

The opposition also criticized the Mozambican state for not commenting on the matter, noting that, as the host country, Mozambique should be “the first to take a stand”.

The non-governmental organization Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) also demanded clarification and accountability, condemning “this macabre crime in the light of international humanitarian law, which establishes clear rules on the attitude of military personnel towards downed soldiers of the opposing group,” CDD director Adriano Nuvunga told Lusa.

According to a note from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the incident, which is already being condemned by the South African opposition, took place in Cabo Delgado in November, 2022, where South Africa deployed a contingent as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique.

Cabo Delgado province has been facing an armed insurgency for five years with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with the support of Rwanda and SADC, liberating districts next to the gas projects, but new waves of attacks have appeared in the south of the region and in the neighbouring province of Nampula.

The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Source: Lusa