Maputo (MOZTIMES) – The commander of the Higher Institute of Defence Studies, Lieutenant General Freitas Norte, publicly denied that residents of Mocímboa da Praia had protested against the presence of Mozambican troops in the town, suggesting that the videos circulating on social media were “manipulated”.
“I saw the images. For those who have been in the Northern Operational Theatre and know, in particular, Mocímboa da Praia, there are some questions one must ask. Because, in terms of the setting, the place where that activity is taking place is not, and has no relation to, the space that is Mocímboa da Praia,” said the commander of the Higher Institute of Defence Studies, as quoted in an article published by O País on 18 September.
With these statements, General Freitas Norte seeks to deny the obvious. He exploits the absence of mainstream media in Mocímboa da Praia to claim that images filmed on mobile phones by people on the scene are false or manipulated. In doing so, he sows public confusion and even prompted some media outlets to retract pieces published days earlier.
Yet the incident reported in Mocímboa da Praia did occur. On the morning of 9 September, residents were called to a meeting with the District Administrator, Sérgio Cipriano, in the courtyard of 30 de Junho Primary School, located in the neighbourhood of the same name. When hundreds had already gathered, the government delegation arrived accompanied by heavily armed members of Mozambique’s Armed Defence Forces (FADM).
Immediately, those present stood up and began to shout that they would not attend a meeting in the presence of Mozambican soldiers. Some demanded that Rwandan troops be present at the meeting.
The protest came two days after an insurgent attack on Aldeia 30 de Junho, also known as Filipe Nyusi, in which at least six people were killed. It was the first insurgent incursion into the district capital of Mocímboa da Praia since the insurgents were expelled by Rwandan troops in August 2021.
The crowd, angered, prevented the meeting from going ahead with chants and noise, forcing the government delegation to withdraw. While some booed the officials, others sang in Kimwani (the local language), “Tiwassaka Waruanda”, meaning “we want the Rwandans”.
The most accurate reading is that the crowd was not demanding the withdrawal of the FADM from the town of Mocímboa da Praia, but rather from the meeting venue.
Several videos and accounts from residents confirm that the incident did, in fact, take place. By denying these facts, General Freitas Norte repeats a pattern, unbecoming of the FADM yet recurrent, of denying the obvious.
Since the start of the Cabo Delgado insurgency, the FADM and the government have denied a series of events. They went so far as to deny that Mocímboa da Praia was under insurgent control between August 2020 and August 2021, a period during which the town served as the insurgents’ central base. It was initially omitted that more than 50 youths had been massacred by insurgents in Muidumbe district.
General Bertolino Capitine stated, in a lecture delivered on 30 September 2024 at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies of Universidade Joaquim Chissano, that the government denied that certain villages in Cabo Delgado were under insurgent control, or manipulated the figures of insurgents neutralised in clashes with the FADM. His remarks led to his immediate dismissal as FADM Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
This recurrent practice by the government and the FADM of denying the obvious about the Cabo Delgado conflict not only confuses public opinion, it also undermines institutions. Public trust in official information about the conflict is steadily eroding, something that should concern political and military leaders. The greater risk is that the public will turn to non-official sources, including Islamic State propaganda, which claims the attacks in Cabo Delgado. (MT)
