Renamo “hiding weapons”

Mozambican authorities in the northern town of Montepuez were the bloodiest clashes with the opposition party Renamo occurred last week said on Wednesday that opposition militants had kept scores of weapons seized from a police station.

Police chief Florencio Raisse was quoted by Lusa as saying some Renamo members had returned some weapons following the clash last Thursday in Montepuez, but that most were “obsolete and rusty”.

Demonstrators had stolen more than 100 weapons when they overran the local police station, he said. At least 24 people were killed in Montepuez, including six policemen, in the most deadly of many clashes between police and demonstrators taking part in nationwide protests against what Renamo charges were fraudulent elections last December.

Local authorities said Renamo had planned to seize control of the northern town under the cover of the demonstration. The opposition party has retorted that former Renamo guerrillas, angered by unprovoked police violence, reacted spontaneously, in attacking the police station and other government buildings in Montepuez.