Africa-Press – Mozambique. Residents of Nhamassindzira village report that a group of at least four men, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying three firearms between them, arrived in the village and began begging for food from house to house. Unsuccessful in the village, they asked for machetes and knives in some houses and forced some people to accompany them to a local market, one anonymous resident said.
“These men passed by my house, took my two brothers and a machete, and went to the market where they took action… There were three people who had guns; where they came from they didn’t say but they weren’t in uniform,” he relates.
In Chinapamimba, the group fired shots and robbed a commercial establishment.
Resident Titos Domingos says that “when they arrived at the stall, they asked for food, then the stall owners said they had no food to offer, so as they don’t get along with other people, they started doing their things which only they know how to do: they fired some shots vandalised the stall, stabbed a lady to death. One boy was shot in the palm of his hand, and then another young man who was shot was immediately evacuated to the central hospital in Beira, but he did not arrive alive… He died in the vicinity of Derunde and ended up returning to Chinapamimba”.
“The group was made up of four to five people. We heard that around 16 people passed through this part of Inhaminga, but here in Chinapamimba there were five of them,” Domingos added.
Climate of fear installed
A climate of tension and fear reigns among the residents, with many sleeping in the woods for fear of another visit by the attackers. The police presence shortly after the attack brought some security, but it was for a short time, said one resident.
“Some people are even sleeping in the woods because of fear, right now, even walking on my own scares me. What helped a little was the presence of police officers who arrived a little later. But they only stayed a few days then went away again,” another Chinapamimba resident says.
Police blame Renamo Military Junta
On September 22, police accused the dissident Renamo Military Junta of responsibility for the crimes, and assuring the public that they were working to neutralize the attackers and hold them accountable. Provincial police commander Joaquim Sive however gave no details about the rescuing of the seven kidnap victims.
“In fact, we had this event in the locality of Chinapamimba, in the administrative post of Galinha, where an action was carried out by the Military Junta of Renamo. In response, our force is already deployed throughout the district, but with a very close indication of where the group behind the incursion may be circulating,” he confirmed.
The commander said that “in addition to having stolen food, two citizens were killed.” “But we want to say that our force is there to support the public,” Sive added.
DW Africa sought to interview the police again this Wednesday (29-09), but the commander deferred comment to a later date.
