The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, said today that kidnapping crimes must be combated with joint actions and efforts, including international cooperation, and that "mere comments" will not solve the problem.

He acknowledged that the phenomenon, which has prevailed in the country since 2011, has been generating a climate of fear and insecurity, especially among the business class and their families, who are the biggest victims.

Speaking at the Assembly of the Republic in Maputo, during the presentation of his latest Report on the General State of the Nation, he said that due to its organizational size and complexity, the transnational phenomenon is a challenge for national, regional and international authorities.

"So, dear compatriots, this is a problem. A problem that should not be solved with simple comments. We need to sit down and reflect on the phenomenon," he said.

The Head of State acknowledged, however, that the issue is, among many others, one that he has not been able to stop, despite his continuous efforts.

"We shouldn't say that we've solved the problem of kidnappings. No. But we are combating the kidnapping problem within our capabilities," he acknowledged.

In this regard, he regretted the fact that the victims of the kidnappings chose not to contribute to the authorities in order to clarify each case.

"It's real, compatriots, that the people rescued afterwards don't talk," he said, stressing that the victims refuse to collaborate out of "fear".

He said that the number of victims of kidnappings in the country was different - around 22 kidnappings between January 2022 and August 2024 - but that people had been arrested, both nationals and foreigners, and that captives had been dismantled and some victims recovered or rescued. "Eight cases were thwarted by police action with the collaboration of the community, eleven were cleared up and the victims were returned to their families. Fifty-seven individuals were arrested and four captives were dismantled."

In connection with this legal type of crime, three nationals have been arrested in the last two weeks and are already cooperating with the authorities. They have already revealed the identity of one of the ringleaders who, by the way, is also a businessman who is outside Mozambique. The authorities are on the trail of the "mastermind". "We called in Interpol to help us. If we get that person, it will at least give us a clue as to the motivation behind what he's doing."

He assured that there are national personnel undergoing specific training, both inside and outside the country, to combat this type of crime. And he noted that, for strategic reasons of agreements with some nations, it would not be possible to reveal where the "anti-kidnapping" training was taking place. He said that some of the troops trained abroad have already returned to the country, and the result has been the rescue of victims and the dismantling of captives in a short space of time.

"It's a problem that is a long way from being overcome and there is a need for society to collaborate," he said.