By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Terrorism, a phenomenon that has been affecting Mozambique for about eight years, and the “Naparamas”, a peasant militia fighting the government in the centre and north of the country, are among the main challenges to national security, according to President Daniel Chapo.
Chapo was speaking in Maputo on Wednesday at the ceremony where he swore into office the new Deputy Commander of the Mozambican police, Aquilasse Kapangula Manda.
The challenges, he said, include “the armed attacks by terrorists in parts of Cabo Delgado province, although today these are of low intensity, together with the recruitment of children into the ranks of the enemy”.
The war in Cabo Delgado has claimed at least 5,000 lives and has displaced more than a million people from their homes, according to observers of the ACLEID.
“Attacks in Zambezia province by the so-called ‘Naparamas’ and other groups with some organisation try to block roads that are vital to the development of our country. Apart from intimidating our population, these criminal actions affect the free circulation of people and goods”, added Chapo.
The “Naparamas” are a militia who claim magical powers that can protect them against bullets. They were set up in the late 1980s to defend their communities against raids by the then rebel movement Renamo. After the 1992 peace agreement, they disappeared from sight, but have reappeared in recent months, fighting against the government because they claim to have been marginalised.
Chapo also expressed his concern at the demonstrations occurring all over the country, which he regarded as “illegal and violent”.
The protests, which have repeatedly blockaded public roads, became frequent after Chapo’s investiture on 15 January. The crowds have made a variety of demands – such as reducing the cost of living (in Maputo province) or the repair of infrastructure (in Beira).
“The continual attempts to instal chaos, characterised by illegal and violent demonstrations, with no date or time announced in advance, are a phenomenon which, if not brought under control, could degenerate into a threat to our collective security”, warned Chapo.
In Maputo province, it has become common for groups of protesters to demand that shopkeepers and retailers lower the prices of their goods (particularly cement) in line with a “decree” issued by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
According to Chapo, “we cannot think it normal to threaten a shopkeeper, telling him: ‘reduce the prices or don’t open the shop!’. This is damaging hundreds of our fellow countrymen, who are looking for basic goods for their sustenance, and sometimes are obliged to walk long distances”.
Chapo has been making changes in the hierarchy of the police force (PRM) at a time when the image of the police has been seriously harmed by its violent behaviour in the post-election crisis, in which more than 300 people have died, mostly as a result of police bullets. (RD).
