The Minister of the Interior, Arsénia Massingue, said on Saturday that the police must be able to combat the various criminal manifestations such as terrorism and the wave of kidnappings, as well as all threats that attack the sovereignty of the Mozambican state.

It was during the graduation of 800 police officers at the Osvaldo Tazama Sergeants School, in Sofala province, that the Minister of the Interior, Arsénia Massingue, quoted by RFI, argued that the moment the country is going through requires a corps committed to the national cause.

"In such a crucial phase, as we are currently experiencing, of violent crime, kidnappings and murders, organized and transnational crime including terrorism, we must do everything we can to firmly combat any manifestations or events against the state or the people and defend territorial integrity," she said.

Arsénia Massingue also warned that standards of discipline in the country must be high and that the security forces must be organized in the face of different threats.

"The moment demands of us serious and high standards of discipline, which must be manifested in the form of organization, combative preparation and readiness, and permanent alertness so that in a coordinated way we achieve success in all areas of action together with the other defence and security forces," said Arsénia Massingue.

The wave of kidnappings, extreme violence in the northern region of Mozambique and drug trafficking are among the main criminal acts that are taking away the peace and quiet of the country's citizens. Since January, the Mozambican authorities have recorded 11 kidnappings and 27 arrests linked to these crimes. The suspects include members of the police and security forces, as well as court officials.