Mozambican president celebrates ‘successes’ in justice in recent years

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday highlighted “achievements” in the country’s justice system in recent years, but pointed to terrorism and kidnapping as major problems.

“While there is a long way to go and some adjustments to be made, the results of 45 years of Mozambican justice are positive and encouraging,” Filipe Nyusi said at the official opening ceremony of the judicial year in Maputo, Mozambique.

For Filipe Nyusi, the expansion of the judiciary across the country in recent years is proof of the “success” made over the past few years, although the head of state acknowledges that some challenges remain.

“We cannot afford not to talk about terrorism when we talk about aspects related to justice,” said the head of the Mozambican state.

In addition to terrorism in northern Mozambique, the President of Mozambique continued, kidnappings that affect the main provincial capitals of Mozambique, corruption, money laundering and drug trafficking are also among the main problems in this sector.

“We expect the continuation of building a judicial system based on commitment to the values ​​of patriotism, ethics and law abidance,” he stressed.

The head of state indicated the increase in the capacity of the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernik) as a priority task.

“There are some crimes that must be solved to perfection,” said Filipe Nyusi.

Terrorism that affects northern Mozambique and kidnappings that have been reported in major provincial capitals have been identified as some of the major security concerns in Mozambique in recent years.

Since 2017, the province of Cabo Delgado has been terrorized by armed rebels, with the Islamic State extremist group claiming responsibility for some of the attacks.

The conflict has already resulted in more than 4,000 deaths (according to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and at least one million displaced people, according to a balance sheet compiled by the Mozambican authorities.

After a period of relative calm, Mozambican cities, mostly the country’s capital, have registered again since 2020 due to a spate of kidnappings, mostly targeting businessmen or their family members.

In November 2021, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique began to form a mixed force to respond to this type of crime, a group of officers who will be trained by Rwandan specialists for six months.