Suspect in arson that killed nine people in Cape Verde detained again

The alleged culprit behind the fire in Serra Malagueta, Cape Verde’s Santiago island, which killed nine people fighting the blaze, returned this Saturday to start another fire at the same location, the government said.

In a note published earlier in the evening, the Cape Verdean Ministry of Agriculture and Environment states that “the alleged perpetrator of the fire in Serra Malagueta, who was arrested by the national police and later released, opened fire again in the same area.” the place where he committed the crime of forest fire.”

It adds that this ministry, through the delegate in Tarrafal (Santiago Island), João Soares, “has filed a complaint with the police station of Santa Catarina in Assomada against this man”.

“According to the delegate, the only reason that the worst did not happen was that they learned about the incident in time. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment hopes that the police and the judiciary will take action against this repeat offender,” the note added.

Cape Verdean President José María Neves stressed on Thursday the “patriotic involvement” in fighting the fire that killed nine people in the Serra Malagueta Natural Park (PNSM), but asked for a “thorough” investigation into the events.

“It should be noted the presence of almost 300 members of the Civil Defense, the Armed Forces and the National Police, who arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire. This is a patriotic commitment around the common good, which must be properly emphasized,” the head of state said. who visited the scene of the fire late Thursday evening.

José Maria Neves arrived in Praia after a visit to the United States of America, discovering at the site of a fire that destroyed more than 200 hectares of this natural area 50 km north of the capital, that “the involvement of the neighboring communities of Ribeira Prata, Figueira Minha, Fundura, Ribeira da Barca was fundamental and deserves respect.”

“It is necessary to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the accident that resulted in the death of soldiers, and an in-depth assessment of the entire National Civil Protection System. Depending on the results, the necessary measures must be taken to prevent situations. of this kind and significantly improve the overall effectiveness of civil protection,” added José María Neves.

“I welcome the fact that the government has already approved blood pensions for the heirs of those who lost their lives and resources to rebuild the devastated territories.

We are talking about a fire that broke out on Saturday at 10:30 (12:30 in Lisbon) in Serra Malagueta and Figueira das Naus. At around 5:20 pm on Sunday (7:20 pm in Lisbon), a Cape Verdean Armed Forces vehicle went off the track, killing eight soldiers in the crash, and Pak, a Serra Natural technician, also died in these operations.

The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA) of Cape Verde, Antonio Duarte, assured on Monday that an investigation is underway into the causes that led to the accident, which killed eight soldiers fighting the fire.

At a press conference, CEMFA said that while transporting 31 soldiers to support firefighting in the Serra da Malagueta “for reasons yet to be ascertained”, the military vehicle collided and rolled over, killing five operatives immediately. Ultimately, two soldiers died in the Tarrafal Medical Battalion and one in the Santiago Norte Detachment, in addition to 23 wounded, eight of whom are still in Praia Hospital.

The fire forced the evacuation of ten families from the city of Figueira das Naus, but the national police, however, announced the arrest of a man suspected of setting fire to this park.