Maputo, 28 Nov (AIM) – The Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), which backed the independent presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane in the elections held on 9 October, has demanded the resignation of the country’s highest security chiefs because of the abuses committed by the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) during the demonstrations that have been taking place since 21 October.
According to a Podemos statement issued on Thursday, those who should resign are the General Commander of the Mozambican Police (PRM), Bernardino Rafael and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (FADM), Joaquim Mangrasse.
The party is also demanding the resignation of the country’s Attorney-General, Beatriz Buchili.
These resignations, Podemos says, would be “the first step towards restoring Mozambique’s constitutional order, in which the institutions are at the service of the Mozambican people and not of criminal groups that have captured the state”.
According to the document, at stake are the flagrant violations of human rights, perpetrated by the (FDS) against Mozambican civilians.
Podemos says that a new chapter in the violence was opened when a military armoured car knocked down and drove over a woman who was participating in demonstrations on Wednesday, on Eduardo Mondlane Avenue, in central Maputo.
“The incident on Eduardo Mondlane, in which a Mozambican citizen, in full enjoyment of her rights, was deliberately run over by an FDS military vehicle, makes it clear that the Mozambican government, the state bodies, as well as the ruling Frelimo party, are sparing no effort to maintain their hold on power”, the note says.
The party also demands the publication of the names of the soldiers who were inside the armoured car that ran over the demonstrator, and the initiation of criminal proceedings against them “because they committed serious crimes, and we are resorting to the International Criminal Court against these figures and others.”
(AIM)
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