A joint operation involving the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the Municipal Police and representatives of the judicial court resulted, last Friday (03), in the removal of dozens of illegal occupants from a plot of land belonging to the Catholic Church, in the Namicopo neighborhood, on the outskirts of the city of Nampula.

The intervention also included the destruction of the precarious buildings erected on the site.

According to a publication on the IkweliThe action came after months of improper occupation of the space, used by seminarians and religious sisters, and took place in a tense atmosphere. The occupants resisted the eviction order and even threatened the authorities, as well as declaring that they might burn down the seminary and neighboring residences. However, the presence of the security forces ensured that the process was concluded without serious incident.

The invaders admitted to having occupied the space illegally, justifying it by a lack of housing and demanding compensation for abandoning the area. The situation, however, reinforces a wider problem that worries the Catholic Church hierarchy in Nampula: the growing appropriation of the institution's land by different groups.

Recently, the Archbishop of Nampula, Dom Inácio Saure, publicly expressed his concern at the wave of invasions, both by people looking for a place to live and by wealthy people trying to benefit from Church land. For the prelate, this scenario threatens not only the patrimony of the institution, but also peaceful coexistence within the community.

On the same occasion, Bishop Inácio stressed that the Church, as a partner of the state in social development, needs legal certainty to continue carrying out its mission in the areas of education, health and assistance to vulnerable families. "If our spaces are systematically occupied, we will be jeopardizing the future of many services provided to the population," he warned.

With Friday's action, the authorities reaffirmed the need to respect the law and protect institutional heritage. However, the case also highlights the city's social challenges, marked by disordered population growth and a lack of housing policies capable of meeting the demand for urban land.

(Photo DR)