Mozambique’s Police Chief, Bernadino Rafael has been dismissed from his duties by President Daniel Chapo following allegations of brutality and abuse during October’s disputed election and its aftermath.
Rafael’s dismissal came months after being accused by prominent opposition figures of working with criminal groups to kidnap and kill civilian protesters during the presidential election.
Chapo, who announced the top government’s office removal, nine days after assuming office, replaced Rafael with Joaquim Sive to avoid a leadership vacuum.
Even after his discharge, Rafael had strongly denied these allegations leveled against him, saying he was not responsible for citizens including minors who were shot dead after joining pot-banging protests.
Earlier last week he said, “Only 96 people had died, including 17 officers. Those killed had attacked police officers who had defended themselves, or they had been hit by stray bullets,”
Contrary to Rafael’s record, the civil society groups, reported approximately 300 fatalities in the protests.
According to the Mozambique Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (CDD), agents from the elite National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) dressed in civilian clothing “infiltrated protest crowds to identify and record the addresses of young participants” and “later carried out house raids, often resulting in arbitrary arrests and killings”.
The protest which occurred in October was caused by the disputed presidential election, with allegations of irregularities and fraud. The opposition parties and civil society groups claimed that the election was rigged, leading to widespread discontent and frustration among the population.
This discontent ultimately boiled over into the protests, as citizens took to the streets to express their anger and demand justice.
