According to Sofala provincial police spokesperson Daniel Macuacua, cited in Thursday’s issue of the independent daily “O Paisâ€, the vehicle was part of a funeral cortege, and was carrying a coffin containing a corpse from Beira to Nicoadala, in Zambezia province.
Traffic along the Nhamapadza-Caia road should take place only in convoys under armed escort. But the pick-up truck arrived in Nhamapadza late, and missed the convoy. The family carrying the coffin decided to risk making the journey without an escort.
But at Fudza, ten kilometres north of Nhamapadza, Renamo gunmen intercepted the truck and ordered it to stop. Even though they confirmed that the truck was carrying a coffin, they opened fire on the driver and passengers, killing two of them and injuring three.
The defence and security forces later transported the survivors to the hospital at Caia, where they are under intensive care. The bodies have been deposited in the Caia morgue.
Macuacua condemned the “barbaric attackâ€, but also urged motorists not to risk driving on the Nhamapadza-Caia road outside of the convoys.
Meanwhile, Renamo has claimed that an attempt was made against the life of the leader of its parliamentary group, Ivone Soares, last Thursday evening, when she arrived in the Zambezia provincial capital, Quelimane.
Neither Soares nor Renamo spokesperson Juliano Picardo gave any details whatsoever about this alleged murder attempt. Nonetheless, Picardo gave a press conference claiming this was an attempt “to silence voices of the opposition parties in order to eliminate democracy in the countryâ€.
“Acts to obstruct opposition activity undertaken by death squads in no way contribute to the peace we want in this countryâ€, he said.
Picardo did not mention the very real death squads operated by Renamo, such as the one that attacked the funeral vehicle at Fudza on Tuesday.
Post published in: Africa News