At least two people were shot by the Mozambique Republic Police (PRM) during a new confrontation with alleged invaders of Catholic Church land in the Namicopo neighborhood of Nampula city..

The incident occurred on Thursday (09), when a group again tried to destroy the St. Charles Lwanga Inter-Diocesan Philosophical Seminary, after previous attacks that had already resulted in the destruction of windows.

Meanwhile, a contingent of police was mobilized to disperse the invaders who were resisting a legal injunction to vacate the space belonging to the Catholic missionaries. The operation was marked by several shots, which caused panic among the seminarians and local residents.

"This action was carried out at the behest of the court, as the agents said, and I'm desperate because my house has been broken. I don't know where to keep my children. I took them out sick, they're shaking," said a source quoted by the Rigor Newspaper, a mother of eight whose precarious home was demolished.

The atmosphere there was one of fear and despair: seminary students remained confined inside the home, while entire families hastily abandoned their houses built in absentia.

Without giving a recorded interview, the rector of the Propaedeutic Seminary confirmed that the situation had been brought under control, with no major damage to the infrastructure, but regretted the repetition of episodes of vandalism, including attempts to burn down the premises.

This incident comes less than a week after the first attempt to burn down the St. Charles Lwanga Interdiocesan Philosophical Seminary failed.

(Photo DR)