By Noémia Mendes
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Former Commander-General of the Mozambican Police (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, appeared before the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) on Monday in connection with the police’s involvement in the killing of more than 380 people during post-election demonstrations in Mozambique.
The hearing follows criminal complaints submitted by civil society organisations, including the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) and the DECIDE platform. Both organisations hold the former Commander-General and other senior police and government officials morally and materially responsible for the violent crackdown on protests that challenged the results of the October 2024 general elections.
The hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m., and Bernardino Rafael entered and left the PGR premises discreetly, without speaking to the press.
According to CDD, the complaint submitted on 26 November 2024 included documentary evidence linking Bernardino Rafael and the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Nelson Rego, to a disproportionate police response that turned peaceful protests into scenes of violence and death. The DECIDE platform, in turn, filed its complaint on 21 November 2024, also naming former Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda among those responsible.
According to DECIDE, during the post-election crisis, 388 people were killed, 800 were wounded by police gunfire, and more than 7,000 were detained, with around 3,000 still behind bars.
The protests initially began as peaceful demonstrations led by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane but quickly escalated into violent confrontations following the intervention of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR), which used tear gas and live ammunition against demonstrators.
For CDD, Bernardino Rafael’s hearing represents a significant step towards truth and justice.
“Our expectation is that this is not a performance, but rather a serious agenda by the Attorney-General’s Office to establish accountability,” said André Mulungo, a representative of CDD. “We have submitted evidence and want all those involved to be heard, from the Director of SERNIC to the Commander of the UIR,” he added.
Bernardino Rafael has never publicly taken responsibility for the deaths. In his final speech as Commander-General of the PRM, delivered a day before his dismissal on 23 January 2025, he acknowledged only 96 deaths, including 17 police officers, without identifying the perpetrators or clarifying the circumstances. (NM)
