Africa-Press – Mozambique. The private sector says it is increasingly constrained by the intensification of kidnappings in the country. Businesspeople are demanding the government’s collaboration in guaranteeing security in order to ensure a good business environment.
The wave of kidnappings in the country and the authorities’ difficulty in combating crime is increasingly undermining the business environment, said Executive Director of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), Eduardo Sengo, during the launch of the Annual Private Sector Conference.
“This aspect has a negative impact on the local business community, who do not feel safe to continue in business. We feel constrained when we have this type of scenario – and not just kidnappings. There is a terrorism situation in Cabo Delgado. Therefore, we ask that the government resolve this central problem. Obviously we have others, but this one is more worrying for the business sector,” the CTA executive director said.
The problem of kidnappings has been going on for several years. The government promised to solve it with the creation of a special police anti-kidnapping brigade, but so far little has been heard or seen of this force.
“What was said is that the anti-kidnappings unit was being made available to help us resolve these cases (abductions),” Sengo observed.
While waiting for the debut of the anti-kidnapping brigade, the private sector is protecting itself with its own funds, with each businessman ending up hiring security guards, at enormous cost.
From 2023 until March of this year, 42 people had been arrested in connection with cases of kidnapping and more arrests have occurred in recent days, but there is no information about who is masterminding the crimes. Meanwhile, kidnappings continue to haunt the country.
The latest kidnapping, of a Mozambican citizen of Asian origin, took place on Saturday afternoon on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, in the country’s capital. The victim’s whereabouts still unknown, still less the identity of those responsible.
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