Two police officers from the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) were ambushed and beaten to death last Sunday in Miciasse, in the Molumbo district of Zambezia province.  

Those responsible for the crime are so far unknown. The officers were on an operative assignment 20 km from Vila Sede.

According to the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), the two officers were ambushed by alleged demonstrators.

The death of the police officers, according to information available, comes at a time when an audio is circulating on social media in which the police authorities appear to be trying to reach out to the community, in the context of the protests underway in that part of the country. In the audio, the citizens in question impose as a condition for a healthy relationship with the authorities what they call the "return" of five members of the community who lost their lives in a riot that took place there.

took place last year during the election campaign. The atmosphere is tense in Molumbo.

The CDD adds that if it is true that the officers were murdered by the community, the crime may have been motivated by the authorities' inaction in the case of the murder of the five members by the police, as a form of retaliation. (Source: CDD)