By Daniel Itai.
Chibabava, Mozambique (News of The South) – Basílio Monteiro, Mozambique’s Interior minister, today announced the reinforcement of security measures in the provinces of Manica and Sofala, where armed groups have been carrying out attacks since August this year.
At stake, is the issue of insecurity affecting two of the country’s main road corridors, the EN1, which connects the north to the south of the country, and the EN6, which connects the port of Beira and Zimbabwe and other southern African countries.
“We have decided to increase patrols on all roads in Manica and Sofala provinces, in addition to other measures that we prefer to advance,” said the minister.
On Tuesday, rebels who are allegedly linked to the country’s main opposition party Renamo, attacked a bus which was carrying 23 passengers in Chibabava which resulted in 10 fatalities and 9 injuries.
Luis Nhazonzo, administrator of Chibabava, confirmed the tragedy, “passengers were forced to abandon the bus, the Renamo guerrillas then set fire to it.”
However, Renamo has since distanced itself from the incident citing its compliance with disarmament according to the peace agreement of August 6th this year.
On Monday, Mozambique’s President, Filipe Nyusi said that contacts between the government and Renamo had resumed, mainly to discuss the armed attacks on the main roads of the central provinces of Manica and Sofala.
Addressing a crowd of supporters in the Central School of the ruling Frelimo Party, in the southern city of Matola, Nyusi said, “earlier this morning I spoke with the president of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, on his initiative, to look at the situation in the centre of the country.
People are dying, they have nowhere to stay, and they can’t produce anything. I am going to dedicate myself to this concern. We can’t continue to live in a country of problems, of wars, of discontent and of death.”
One faction, calling itself the Renamo Military Junta has denounced Momade as a traitor, and does not recognise the peace agreement he signed with Nyusi on 6 August.
The faction led by Mariano Nhongo remains entrenched in the provinces, demanding better conditions for demobilization and threatening to resort to arms if not heard.
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