Amnesty International calls video of soldiers burning corpses ‘terrifying’

Video of soldiers burning corpses in Cabo Delgado is another “terrible event” that shows what is happening in this “forgotten war” in Mozambique, Amnesty International (AI) said this Thursday.

“Unfortunately, it appears that incidents of violence against civilians, extrajudicial executions and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are still taking place, as previously documented by Amnesty International,” he said in a statement. .

The video in question was posted on social media showing soldiers believed to be from the South African army and other unidentified elements throwing corpses into a burning pile of rubble, an episode that prompted the South African Armed Forces to launch an investigation. South.

“The burning of dead bodies by soldiers is regrettable and likely a violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the mutilation of dead bodies and requires the dead to be disposed of with respect,” he added.

AI contends that the Mozambican Forces and the Regional Forces of the South African Community Development Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) “should launch a prompt, comprehensive and independent investigation into the circumstances of these deaths and burnings and any against which there is sufficient admissible evidence must be presented in a fair trial. proceedings.”

According to the official, “security in Cabo Delgado should not be ensured at the expense of human rights violations.”

The act has already been denounced by the two Mozambican opposition parties with seats in parliament, who rejected the “cruelty” and called for “respect for human rights”.

“We want to express our opposition to this cruelty. There is no reason to commit violence of this level,” said Luce José Manteigas, spokesman for the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo), the largest opposition party in Mozambique.

For his part, the representative of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), Ismael Nhakukue, told Luza that “when [os militares] film this act and publish it, they show cowardice and indifference to the real problem of terrorism, that is, they act like terrorists, and this cannot be allowed.”

The MDM is calling for a “comprehensive investigation” to bring the “instigators of barbarism” to justice, warning that the military’s attitude could spark “hatred and a desire for revenge” in insurgent groups.

The opposition also criticized the fact that the state of Mozambique did not comment on the case, noting that Mozambique, as the host country, should “be the first to take a stand”.

The non-governmental organization Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) also demanded clarification and possible responsibility in this case, rejecting “this terrible crime in the light of international humanitarian law, which establishes clear rules for the attitude of military personnel towards downed soldiers of the armed forces.” opposing group,” activist and CDD director Adriano Nuvunga told Luce.

According to the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), the incident, which is already condemned by the South African opposition, took place in November 2022 in Cabo Delgado, where South Africa deployed a military contingent as part of the armed forces. Mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Mozambique.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years now, with the Islamic State extremist group claiming responsibility for some attacks.

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with the support of Rwanda and SADC, liberating areas near gas projects, but new waves of attacks have appeared in the south of the region and in the neighboring province of Nampula.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the conflict has already displaced one million people and killed about 4,000 people, according to the ACLED Conflict Registration Project.