Antônio Serrano (fictitious name) vI live in Maputo, in the Baixa area, where most ex-patriates live and where most of the embassies are located. It is a “bubble”, and this is how he describes it: “It feels like we are in Lisbon, there are supermarkets like Continente, we have cinemas and a kind of Uber. I live in a dome, but the reality in the surrounding area and in the rest of the country is very different.”
He worked as a soldier in Mozambique, joined the reserves and retired. Later, the Portuguese was invited by G4S, a British multinational security company that has around nine thousand security guards in the African country, working in the field. It is this experience that makes him believe that the security crisis in Mozambique is worrying. At least 1,534 inmates escaped from Maputo Central Prison, with maximum security, on Wednesday afternoon, said the general commander of the police, placing responsibility on post-election protesters.
António Serrano has another theory: “We are talking about the most dangerous criminals in Mozambique, people who have no future and do not value life at all. Imagine these people out there… The buzz that caused the escape of five prisoners in Portugal. We are talking about 1500 here, and it was not just in Maputo, but in other prisons, that also opened the gates.” The Portuguese are suspicious of the circumstances of the evasion, which has sparked rumors among the population. “Who opened it? It’s a high security prison, who opens it? You don’t see protesters trying to break in; the population itself is organizing militias to go after those who have escaped.” The security consultant is convinced that the gates were not broken in, but opened. “Prisoners have a uniform, like in any prison, they have a uniform. They went out in civilian clothes, to mix with the people, to sow chaos. No one was injured or killed. Filipe Nyusi, the President, wanted to institute a state of siege. This would allow him to continue as President for a while longer, and he had every interest… Some time ago, he would not have had the support of other countries, such as South Africa and Portugal, and the population would revolt.”
In the face of chaos, would the people ask for political intervention? “The Government then appears, saying that they need your help, so they will have to apply unpopular measures that will save the country and that, a week ago, would have been very unpopular”, argues António. “These people studied in Russia or Venezuela, they know what’s in the books…”
Source: expresso.pt
