The Mozambican authorities on Saturday prevented the holding of a march against the wave of kidnappings that has plagued the country's main cities, an initiative that was being promoted by the Mozambican Medical Associationsaid this Sunday to Lusa an official source.
"As established by law, we sent the authorities letters to inform them of the march, but there was no response. We were taken by surprise on the day of the march with a highly armed police cordon to prevent our demonstration," said Napoleão Viola, secretary general of the Medical Association of Mozambique.
With the march, which was to begin at the organization's headquarters on the Eduardo Mondlane Avenue and end at the Independence Square, the Medical Association of Mozambique intended to show its repudiation against the wave of kidnappings, as well as to leave a message of solidarity with one of the victims: the doctor Basit Gani, kidnapped more than a week ago in the capital of the country.
The police contingent deployed to prevent the march presented the association with a document signed by the mayor of Maputo city, Eneas Comiche, rejecting the initiative, although legally he does not have the authority to authorize or not the holding of a demonstration, according to the Medical Association of Mozambique.
"A march does not have to be authorized because it is a constitutional right. We, the organizers, only have the duty to communicate the authorities and that's what we did," said Napoleão Viola.
Lusa tried, without success, to get a clarification from the Municipal Council of Maputo City and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique.
Despite the episode, the Medical Association of Mozambique said it will continue with actions to demand an end to the wave of kidnappings in the country and the location of doctor Basit Gani.
"The association will not stop until our colleague is located. He is a young doctor, a member of the association and fulfilling his duties in society. He deserves his freedom and, like others, to live in safety in this country", declared Napoleão Viola, who added that the organization has already written letters to the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, and to the Ministry of Interior demanding concrete measures to stop these crimes.
Besides being a doctor, Basit Gani is the vice-president of the Mozambican Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs.
On the day the doctor was taken by force, businessman Nazir Tadkir was also kidnapped in Maputo.
The country's major cities have suffered from a wave of kidnappings that mainly affects businessmen or their family members.
On Friday, the eldest son of the president of the Business Confederation of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CE-CPLP), Salimo Abdula, was kidnapped, although the latter case occurred in South Africa, according to local press reports.
The President of the Republic announced in December the possibility of creating an anti-trafficking police unit to combat the crime wave in the major cities.
On Saturday, CTA - Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique, the largest employers' organization in Mozambique, demanded concrete mechanisms to curb the wave of kidnappings in the country, offering to support the government materially to improve the efficiency of the authorities in fighting crimes.
Lusa Agency