The Denis Hurley Peace Institute, an NGO that is part of the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, regularly compiles reports on Northern Mozambique from its sources in Pemba, Mozambique. We co-publish, with the DHPI, those reports here.
COUNTRY UPDATE: 15 SEPTEMBER 2020
Johan Viljoen
Atrocities against civilians
Following the report by Amnesty International last week, giving particulars of videos detailing atrocities by government soldiers, the issue has once again been raised. On Tuesday 14 September a video emerged on social media, seemingly being taken by a soldier – a member of a group patrolling a rural area. A naked women appears in the road ahead of them. After one soldier beats her with a stick, she runs away. A soldier opens fire on her. She collapses in the road. The soldiers continue shooting at her, at close range, until there is no more movement. The group of soldiers then turn around and walk away. According to initial information received, the incident occurred in the Diaca/Oasse area, between Mueda and Mocimboa da Praia districts.
The government was quick to react. On the same day, a letter was issued by the government, condemning the incident, and stating that the military exists to protect the human rights of the country’s citizens. On Wednesday 15 September the Mozambique Army website (https://defesammoz.info) published a report by the National Commission for Human Rights calling for an investigation into the Amnesty International report.
See below pictures extracted from the video.
Mocimboa remains in insurgent hands, more clashes in the area
Despite the lack of detailed information, Mocímboa da Praia, including the local port, remains in the hands of the insurgents a month after it was occupied by them. The village is deserted, abandoned, pillaged and destroyed. The population that survived the crossfire left Mocímboa da Praia and all public and private institutions closed their doors, most of them destroyed and vandalized.
Last weekend, a column of military vehicles left the Barracks of Mueda with a contingent of the army soldiers with the mission of recovering Mocímboa da Praia. After traveling 60 kilometers, the column was ambushed in Auasse, 40 kilometers from Mocímboa da Praia. After intense clashes that caused casualties on both sides, the military contingent had to retreat to Mueda.
Meanwhile, the number of displaced people fleeing armed conflict in the central and northern districts of Cabo Delgado continues to rise day by day. The World Food Program (WFP), the main United Nations agency that provides humanitarian assistance in Cabo Delgado, speaks of more than 300,000 people seeking refuge within the province and in other provinces, namely Nampula, Niassa and Zambézia.
On 12 September it was reported that insurgents had attacked vehicles at Pundanhar, between Palma and Mueda, burning vehicles and killing occupants.
During the previous week, insurgents invaded and captured two strategic islands near Palma and Mocímboa da Praia. Fishermen and other residents who had taken refuge on the islands of Mecungo (Mocímboa) and Vamisse (Olumbe, Palma) left again for other safe places. The attack was in the early hours of Tuesday, 8, when the insurgents invaded the island of Vamisse, which hosted dozens of displaced persons from the armed attacks, having burned almost all the huts made with the meager resources they had .
About a week ago, the group destroyed the huts of other displaced people and fishermen on Mecungo Island, in the Mocímboa da Praia district.
Residents told VOA that the insurgents arrived at Vamisse Island in the early morning, in small row boats, having woken all residents and gathered them around a fire where a rally was held at dawn. At the rally, the group of insurgents instructed the population to leave the island, with many departing on sailing boats to the city of Pemba, where they docked in the Paquitequete neighborhood.
“They (insurgents) were still on the island when we left the place, they wanted to control who was going to resist the order,” one of the IDPs in Pemba explained to VOA. “They burned the houses and told them they didn’t want anyone else on the island, so I had to flee again,” another displaced person who just arrived in Pemba told VOA.
Still no news of missing journalist
It has been five months since the disappearance of journalist Ibraimo Mbaruco who worked at Community Radio in Palma. His last communication was a message sent to a colleague at 7:00 pm on April 7, 2020, informing him that he was surrounded by military personnel. Since then, police authorities simply state that they have no record of his arrest. The disappearance of Ibraimo Mbaruco increased fear among journalists based in Cabo Delgado, reducing the flow of information about attacks, the violation of human rights and the humanitarian crisis. Mbaruco’s case has similarities with that of Amade Abubacar, journalist at Rádio Macaced Nacedje Community, detained in January 2019 by the military when photographing the displaced arriving at the village of Macomia fleeing attacks in coastal villages. From Macomia, Amade Abubacar was taken to the Military Barracks of Mueda where he remained in isolation for 13 days later before being handed over to the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), who took him to the Mieze Open Penitentiary Centre, near Pemba. He was released 108 days later, following pressure exerted by the press and by civil society organizations. To this day he is awaiting trial.
Ibraimo Mbaruco
Debate on Mozambique in European Parliament
The ongoing crisis in Mozambique will be debated by the Plenary Session of the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday 17 September. It is anticipated that a Resolution will be passed. The matter was brought forward by Portuguese MP Paulo Rangel, who has been a tireless campaigner on behalf of Cabo Delgado.
