The British government on Tuesday warned Britons visiting Mozambique of the risk of kidnappings, particularly in Maputo, following several recent incidents.
In an update to its travel advice website, the UK Foreign Office said “kidnappings for ransom have been reported in Mozambique, mainly in the capital Maputo.”
“Kidnappings are usually for financial gain or criminally motivated. Although the majority of victims are Mozambicans, kidnappers may also target foreigners,” he points out, adding that businessmen may be at increased risk.
The most recent kidnapping in Maputo occurred on Saturday, involving a 29-year-old man who was captured by eight armed men shooting on the road, a National Criminal Investigation Service source told Lusa at the time.
According to the source, the kidnapping took place on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, near one of the victim’s business establishments, and the four kidnappers had AK-47 assault rifles with which they fired.
This is the second kidnapping of businessmen in the past 15 days in Maputo and at least the fourth publicly known since the beginning of the year.
The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) have recorded a total of 185 cases of kidnapping and at least 288 people have been detained on suspicion of involvement in this type of crime since 2011, the interior minister said in March.
“The city of Maputo has the highest trend and number of criminal cases of kidnapping, followed by the province of Maputo and finally Sofala with a record of 103, 41 and 18 cases respectively,” said the Maputo Interior Minister. Mozambique, Pascoal Ronda, March 19.
A wave of kidnappings in Mozambique has affected businessmen and their families, especially those of Asian descent, which authorities say needs to be addressed.
Most kidnappings committed in Mozambique are carried out outside the country, making it difficult to combat this type of crime, the republic’s prosecutor general, Beatrice Buchili, told parliament in April.
Most of those responsible live in South Africa, he said.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has admitted that the fight against kidnappings plaguing the country, especially Maputo and especially businessmen, requires more “proactivity”, namely cooperation with the private sector and other countries.
“We are working with countries that have extensive experience in this sense,” Nyusi assured in his speech at the XIX CASP two weeks ago, on May 15.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.