By António Cumbane and Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – The demonstrations against the election results are now being marked by the theft of guns and the freeing of prisoners in district prisons.
To date, there have been at least five attacks on police sub-units, followed by the theft of firearms. But there could be other, undocumented cases. Two cases were also registered, both in Zambezia province, where rioters broke into prisons and freed the inmates.
The most recent incident happened on Wednesday in the Zambezia district of Ile. Rioters attacked the prison and set free 78 inmates. On 6 December, a similar attack occurred in Morrumbala district, also in Zambézia.
Similar incidents were registered in Maputo, Inhambane and Nampula provinces. In Maputo city, rioters attacked a police post in Zimpeto neighbourhood where they stole at least one AK-47 assault rifle, on 22 November.
On 30 November, in Inhambane province, the rioters tried to invade the Massinga district prison, but without success. However, on 2 December they attacked the police post in Mangumete village, in Inhassouro district, where they stole two AK-47s, burnt down the home of the head of the police post, and released prisoners from the cells.
In Nampula, there were at least two incidents involving police units. The first was at Chalaua administrative post, in Moma district in October. The assailants attacked a police sub-unit and stole at least one firearm. The other incident in this province occurred in November and the targets were an administrative post and members of the Protection Police in the neighbourhood of Namicopo.
The spokesperson for the General Command of the police, Orlando Mudumane declared that “the police demand the immediate and unconditional handover of all the guns stolen during the incursions of the members and supporters of the PODEMOS party”, without specifying how many guns had gone missing. “We have already opened criminal proceedings against the material authors of these crimes”, he said.
As for the freeing of inmates from the Ile prison, Álvaro Arnaça, the Zambezia provincial director of prisons, told MOZTIMES that when the rioters went to the prison, the prison director tried to negotiate with them, but it wasn’t easy. “They hit him on the head with a rock”, said Arnaca. “They broke the padlocks on the main gate and on all the cells”.
The invasion of the Ile prison occurred on Wednesday morning, at around 10.00. Police reinforcements were asked for, but they proved unable to contain the rioters.
“The prison team had heard rumours of a possible invasion of the prison as had already happened in Morrumbala”, explained Arnaca. “We anticipated the invasion by locking the prisoners in the cells. But when the attackers arrived, they opened the cells and threatened to kill anybody who didn’t want to escape”.
The attacks against prisons and police units represent an added threat to public security, with the proliferation of guns in the hands of civilians, which could be used in muggings and burglaries.
The PODEMOS party has rejected accusations of involvement in recent attacks on police subunits and prisons. On Thursday, the party lodged a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office in the City of Maputo against Orlando Mudumane, the Police spokesperson. This action was taken in response to Mudumane's public statements implicating party members and supporters in acts of vandalism.
According to PODEMOS secretary-general Sebastião Mussanhane, these statements are "false and unfounded," intended to "tarnish the reputation of PODEMOS in the eyes of society." The party demands that Mudumane be held accountable for these allegations, which it considers damaging to its good name, and insists that the spokesperson provide evidence to substantiate his claims. (AC/RD)
(Article updated at 4:45 p.m., with the statements from the Secretary-General of PODEMOS included in the last two paragraphs).
