– Among the fugitives are criminals serving sentences for rape, murder and terrorism
– The prison service has no complete data for at least 5% of the fugitives
Por MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIME) – So far the prison services, together with the other security services, have only managed to recapture 322 (about 21%) of the 1,534 prisoners who escaped from the Maputo Central Prison and the adjacent Top Security Prison. This is the most serious escape in the recent history of the Mozambican prison system. 98 of the inmates escaped from the top security prison.
Over 1,200 inmates are still on the run. Many of them were sentenced for violent crimes such as murder, child rape, aggravated theft, drug trafficking and possession of prohibited weapons. There are also fugitives serving sentences for crimes of terrorism.
The scale of the problem is made worse by serious registration problems. According to a table published by the office of the general director of the National Prison Service, 82 of the fugitives do not possess complete biographical data – the record contains only the number of their case file, without any other personal or criminal information. There is also a group of prisoners without fingerprint data. Many of the photographs available are in low resolution, which makes any attempt at visual identification difficult.
As for the cause of the escape, the General Commander of the Police, Bernardino Rafael, and the Minister of Justice, Helena Kida, have given different versions about what would have made it possible.
Bernardino Rafael believed it was a premeditated action undertaken by those involved in the post-election demonstrations, who have been on the streets since October, protesting against the results of the general elections. But Kida said the rebellion came from inside the prison. Despite this divergence, they both agreed that the episode shows that urgent reform is needed in the top security units.
Profile of the fugitives
Preliminary data indicates that many fugitives were sentenced for violent crimes, notably first degree murder, murder combined with theft, rape of a 12 year old child, aggravated robbery, combined or not with murder and kidnapping, drug trafficking and possession of banned weapons. Many of them were sentenced to prison terms longer than 10 years.
There are also four fugitives who were among the first group of criminals sentenced for crimes of terrorism in 2018, namely Tualibo Amade Tualibo, who was sentenced to a 16 year prison term, Taquile Sumail, (18 years), Maudji Abuthai, and Bahate Chilinde Sueda (both jailed for 16 years).
A further fugitive, Celso Tivane, has been detained since January 2024. His imprisonment has been legalised, but he is still awaiting trial on charges of terrorism.
Specialists in public security warn that with 1,212 criminals still at large (now that 322 have been recaptured) the risk of violence and of opportunist crimes has increased considerably.
The information that 82 fugitives do not possess data (such as their complete name, criminal record or legible photograph) exposes the weakness of the prison records system.
Furthermore the lack of fingerprints in some case files, and low resolution or outdated photographs make recognition by audio-visual means practically impossible.
This gap in the records makes it difficult, if not impossible, to re-arrest a significant number of the fugitives.
The mass breakout occurred in the midst of a wave of destruction and growing crime in several provinces, raising suspicions of coordinated activity between criminal groups, There have been escapes in several other prisons in recent months, notably in three districts in Zambézia.
People living in outlying neighbourhoods, speak of fear that these fugitives – who include individuals regarded as extremely dangerous – might organise for new attacks or travel to other regions.
The escape of 1,534 prisoners in Maputo exposes the vulnerability of a prison system, which, according to analysts, lacks planning, technology and tight management, The 322 recaptured so far are just a small fraction of the fugitives. Without reliable identification data for dozens of escapees, the challenge of locating them grows exponentially.
The public is in a state of alert while the divergent speeches between the General Commander of the police and the Minister of Justice reflect the lack of consensus on the causes of the crisis and possible solutions. Public pressure for explanations and effective measures is rising, and driving a debate about the urgent reforms needed in the Mozambican prison system. (MT)
