By Virgínia Emília
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Residents of well-known Namicopo neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city of Nampula say the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) fatally shot at least six people last Friday (27-10) during demonstrations against the electoral results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE).
Residents told Ikweli that the police fired indiscriminately and used live bullets after arriving in Namicopo at around 11:22 a.m. and shooting at everything that moved, with five more people suffering serious injuries.
“This situation occurred in a very strange way. At 11:00 a.m., a group of young people who were going to demonstrate were burning tires on the public road, causing a police team to arrive in this neighbourhood and shoot uncontrollably at people who were trying to escape the situation, including children,” Laurentino Francisco, deputy secretary of Namicopo, told Ikweli. “We have had, as of record, around three deaths and five injured people who are currently receiving treatment at Nampula Central Hospital. We buried the fatalities in the cemetery close to the school in the Namicopo neighborhood.”
Alito Atumane, 23 years old, was one of the victims. He was shot in both his legs. He said that he was talking to his friends and he had nothing to do with the demonstration, but the police did not spare him.
“I was leaving the house, heading to the Nampula bakery,” Atumane says of the terror he experienced. “I had gone to talk to my friends, suddenly I saw people running. I also started running, when I got close to the Namicopo health centre, I saw another group of people burning tires. The police also started shooting, and ended up hitting me in the foot, I ended up falling, they took advantage of it right there, and shot me in the other foot too. I couldn’t get up because it was hurting, and I was helped by other people who took me to the hospital.”
In the Memória area, also in Namicopo, Arlindo Sousa says that the situation was similar and that three people fell to police bullets.
Sousa says that he was sitting on the road with his friend when the events kicked off. He wanted to run away, but ended up falling, which caused serious injuries. His friend was shot in the head with two bullets.
“I only found myself on the ground when I wanted to run away, because people were coming running from Rex, when I wanted to get up I saw my friend who was talking to me, shot in the head with two bullets, and I was crying out for help,” he recounts.
Meanwhile…
Families are now mourning the relatives they lost and praying for others who are in hospital beds, while ruing the sources of income destroyed, including their homes.
The Soares market was the site of another confrontation between members of the police and the protesters. Here, stalls and barracas as well as some nearby houses were reduced to ashes due to police shooting.
According to the head of the market, Maximage Abudo, after arriving at the place where a group of young people were demonstrating, the police began shooting indiscriminately.
“The police arrived and started shooting wildly, and ended up burning down our entire market and the houses of some families who live nearby. This happened around 10:00 a.m.,” says the source. Now, “we don’t have space to sell, because the whole market is just ashes”.
The traders there are desperate. “I don’t know where I can sell now, because all our stalls are completely destroyed. We supported our families through this market,” says Armando José, a vendor at the market.
Mother of five Mrs. Laurinda António is another left traumatised by the tragedy. “I don’t know how I can help my children if the whole market is burned down. Even my products that were inside my stall don’t exist. Since I’m not married, my job was just to sell. Now where am I going to end up?” she asks.
Nordino Ussene, owner of eight stalls in the market, is also inconsolable. “When I realized that a strange movement was happening, we removed the goods to the inside the stall,” he relates. “But suddenly, we saw a group of police officers arriving and they started shooting non-stop, around 10:00 a.m., and even burned our stalls and barracas here at the market.”
Juma Ali, 69 years old, saw his house close to the market reduced to ashes, allegedly because the police simply decided to burn it down.
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