As the cases pile up, the authorities do little to nothing. Although the police arrested a man who reportedly confessed to Chamusse’s murder , they did not deem it necessary to investigate who may have orchestrated the killing . No charges were made public following Sibia’s death or Inocência’s poisoning , nor after the disappearances of Chissale and Mbaruco: both community journalists , both abducted by men in uniform, according to witnesses , and both active in Cabo Delgado , a region in northern Mozambique where Al-Shabab operates .
“There have been no credible, thorough, impartial investigations on both cases,” said Carlos Quembo, researcher at Amnesty International. “And it’s unfortunate that the case of Ibraimo Mbaruco is closed without any explanation as to what happened”. For Arlindo Chissale, the authorities say they are investigating, but haven’t communicated on developments.
The situation is most concerning in Cabo Delgado, where the authorities are attempting to impose a media blackout on the conflict. “The media haven’t really been able to cover the situation properly. Local journalists who attempt to do so are being targeted,” Quintal told Forbidden Stories .
“The current system further closes the civic space in Mozambique,” said Wilker Dias, director of the NGO DECIDE, which specializes in supporting civil society. He claims to have been poisoned during a stay in Maputo in 2024 . The rare reporters who have ventured there, including Estacio Valoi and Alex Perry, have been attacked , threatened or expelled.
According to a member of Zitamar News ’ editorial team, one of Forbidden Stories’ partner publications, “the authorities are not transparent about what is actually happening in the province,” and adequate security conditions are not in place for the press. “In many cases, public and private institutions do not cooperate with journalists,” said the representative. Forbidden Stories observed this reluctance firsthand: Few NGOs agree to collaborate with the press, fearing reprisals from the authorities.
Read the full article at Forbidden Stories →📄Source document: Carlos Quembo, Amnesty International
1 reports
Forbidden StoriesIndependentLeft12 days agoForbidden Stories reports on the growing concerns regarding the lack of accountability and increasing repression of journalists in Mozambique, particularly in the northern region of Cabo Delgado. The article highlights several cases involving local journalists who have disappeared or been harmed, with authorities failing to conduct proper investigations. It also mentions the efforts by the government to restrict media coverage of the ongoing conflict in the area.
Bias read (Left): The article presents a critical view of the Mozambican regime, highlighting human rights violations, lack of investigation into journalist deaths and abductions, and attempts to suppress media coverage. The framing emphasizes repression, lack of transparency, and failure of authorities to act, align
Official sources cited
- organisation Carlos Quembo, Amnesty International
- organisation Wilker Dias, NGO DECIDE
France