Mozambique government warns of the extent of terrorism

By Amandio Borges, MAPUTO, Mozambique

Minister of the Interior Amade Miquidade says the threat of terrorism extends throughout the country, and has issued a high alert to both the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) and society in general.

Although reports indicate that the terrorists are losing ground in some districts of Cabo Delgado province as a result of actions by the joint forces of the Mozambican Army, Rwandan forces and the SADC Standby Force, Mozambique’s interior minister warns that the threat is far from dissipated.

“On terrorism, another current challenge, it is worth recalling that the threat is extensive to the entire country. You must, in this sense, be on permanent alert in coordination with the communities, with the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and other branches of the Defence and Security Forces, so that the threat does not spread to other parts of the country,” Minister Miquidade warns.

The minister also said that, with the results that are being obtained in the northern operational theatre, the hope for better days in the areas affected by terrorism was justified.

“Our Defence and Security Forces, working in coordination with the Rwandan and SADC forces, are covering every inch of our country with a view to ensuring greater security, which is why we are witnessing the return of populations to some villages and localities,” he remarked.

On a different note, 11 National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) agents were expelled last month for involvement in crime. And just last week, four more SERNIC agents in Maputo province were suspended from duty on suspicion of involvement in crime.

The Minister of the Interior says that the purging of the ranks will continue. “We will continue with the work of purifying and identifying those in our midst who are linked to illicit activities,” he promised.

Minister Miquidade was speaking in Maputo on Monday morning (13-09) during the swearing-in of António Bachir as Provincial Commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique in Nampula province.

Other officials sworn in on the same occasion were Moisés Deve, Commander of the PRM in the province of Manica, and Adelaide Muianga, Deputy Commander of the Order and Public Security branch in the General Command of the PRM.