Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo has warned that the authorities will forcibly collect illegally held firearms after December, when the deadline for their voluntary surrender, under a police amnesty programme, expires.
Speaking in Manhiça district, southern Mozambican province of Maputo province, at the closing ceremony of the 20th training course for the Mozambican Police Special Operations and Reserve Units, citizens who voluntarily surrender firearms, under Operation Amnesty Two, would not be questioned, punished or detained. The programme is due to run until December this year.
Chapo, as Commander-in-Chief of the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), also called on police officers to demonstrate discipline, professionalism and respect for the law in maintaining public order and security.
"Specialisation does not place you above the law. On the contrary, the greater the operational capacity of a force, the greater its discipline must be", he said, stressing that the exercise of authority must respect human rights and citizens' fundamental freedoms.
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The President explained that crime had become increasingly complex, including terrorism, human and drug trafficking, kidnappings, organised crime and cybercrime. He called for stronger cooperation between the PRM and other Defence and Security Forces to improve the response to these threats.
Regarding security conditions in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, which has been plagued by islamist terrorism since 2017, Chapo said " the situation had improved compared with two years ago thanks to the efforts of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces, troops from Rwanda and Tanzania in combating terrorism."
Chapo called for continued investment in police training, describing public security as essential to achieving "economic independence" , preserving peace, defending national sovereignty and safeguarding territorial integrity.