Mozambique’s Interior Minister, Paulo Chachine, said on Wednesday, November 5, that a “thorough investigation” is underway to identify the “true masterminds” behind the kidnappings that continue to shake the country. He acknowledged, however, that dismantling the network responsible for these crimes “is not easy,” according to the Lusa news agency.
“A deep and complex effort is being made — and it’s not easy,” said the minister on the sidelines of Legality Day celebrations held on Thursday (5) in Maputo. So far in 2025, six public cases of kidnappings of businesspeople have been reported in the capital, the most recent involving a 69-year-old Portuguese citizen, abducted on October 7.
The minister explained that, as a form of organized crime, the kidnapping phenomenon involves “a web of actors,” from the perpetrators to the financiers and those who give the orders. “It’s a network of participants in this act, from the smallest to the biggest. Each one has their own role in this crime. That’s why sometimes it seems we haven’t reached the top yet — but we will get to the true masterminds,” Chachine assured.
On November 3, the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) announced the arrest of two men suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of the Portuguese businessman. The SERNIC spokesperson in Maputo city, João Adriano, said the investigation is “progressing rapidly” and that the “top priority” is to bring the victim safely back to his family.
The case of the Portuguese citizen is the first publicly known kidnapping since June, when a Lebanese pharmacy owner was abducted from his shop in downtown Maputo.
According to official data, between 2011 and March 2024, Mozambican police recorded 185 kidnappings and arrested 288 suspects linked to these crimes.
In statements to Lusa on October 23, national SERNIC spokesperson Hilário Lole revealed that about 300 people have been arrested in connection with kidnappings since the crimes first emerged in 2010, noting that this figure is “approximate.”
Data from the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) indicate that around 150 businesspeople have been kidnapped over the past 12 years, and more than 100 have left the country out of fear. The business organization has repeatedly urged the government to adopt tougher measures, stressing that “it’s time to say enough.”
The Interior Minister reiterated that the police and judicial authorities are committed to dismantling the criminal network and restoring public confidence, emphasizing that the fight against kidnappings “is a national priority” and that “no one will go unpunished.”
