VZCZCXRO4358
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #1286/01 3591000
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241000Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9744
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 1704
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 6175
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 0489

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 001286 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR, DS/T/ATA, DS/IP/ITA, DS/IP/AF 
PRETORIA FOR LEGAT, DEA, USSS, ICE 
GABORONE FOR ILEA 
CAPE TOWN FOR ALEGAT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC SNAR MZ
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE POLICE TARGETED BY ORGANIZED CRIME, 
MORE VIOLENCE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Several high profile shootings of members 
of the Mozambican police (PRM) and a spree of violent crime 
suggest that criminal elements have infiltrated Mozambican 
law enforcement.  Armed attacks within Maputo appear more 
brazen by the day.  Mozambique,s most notorious criminal, 
Anibal "Anibalzinho" dos Santos Jr has escaped from prison 
for the third time, and despite police assurances of a 
recapture, his whereabouts remain unconfirmed.  The Inspector 
General of Police made recent statements to the press stating 
that senior PRM leadership were involved in Anibalzinho,s 
escape, and stated that he feared for his life.  The domestic 
threat of organized crime is the most serious threat to rule 
of law in Mozambique. END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
VIOLENT, ORGANIZED CRIME MORE COMMON, POLICE TARGETED 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The city of Maputo and outlying suburbs continue to 
experience an increase in violent criminal incidents to which 
the Mozambican Police (PRM) lack the capacity or the strong 
motivation to respond.  At the same time, the PRM has been 
targeted for assassination and intimidation by organized 
crime which has deeply infiltrated the police.  Police are 
clearly involved in the many types of corruption including 
drug smuggling.  Recent violent incidents highlight the 
brazenness of the criminals currently operating in Maputo. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
MAPUTO CITY POLICE CHIEF ASSASSINATED, MANY PRM DEATHS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On December 18, in an effort to address rising 
criminal violence and attacks on the PRM, President Guebuza 
announced nomination of new Commandant of Police Jorge 
Khalau, who replaces Custodio Pinto.  Since Pinto's 
nomination in August 2006, two dozen policemen have been 
assassinated, many in or near their homes.  Ten officers were 
murdered by organized criminals in the last calendar year. 
The most recent and highest-profile was the assassination of 
Feliciano Juvane, the Director of Order and Public Security 
for the city of Maputo, who was shot 10 times at close range 
by two men with AK-47s.  This occurred in front of his home 
less than 1 kilometer away from the PRM Command Center for 
the city of Maputo on December 16.  No arrests have been made 
in the case.  Photos of the crime scene showed four PRM 
officials and a cameraman standing in and contaminating the 
crime scene.  Weekly newspaper Savana reported that the 
assassination may have been carried out by criminal elements 
that have infiltrated the PRM, or perhaps by career criminals 
who recently escaped from prison and remain on the loose. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In July, August, and September 2006, a total of six 
members of the "Mambas" anti-organized crime unit, including 
its chief Isaias Tchavane, were killed in and around Maputo. 
In January 2007, two more members of the Mambas were killed 
in Machava.  In August 2007, an additional 5 PRM officers 
were killed throughout the Maputo area.  In December 2008 an 
off-duty police officer from the DIO brigade (a new name for 
the Mambas) was killed on the beach in Maputo by persons 
known to him, according to eye witnesses.  Following that 
incident, on December 14, 2008, there were two attacks on the 
same police station in one day.  Three criminals armed with 
AK-47 assault rifles attacked a police station in Matola, 
killing one police officer and seriously wounding another. 
They also re-stole a stolen car which police had recovered 
that day. 
-------------------------------------- 
VIOLENT CRIMINALS BECOMING MORE BRAZEN 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Most recently, on the evening of Monday, December 
15, 2008, three criminals entered The Waterfront Restaurant, 
a partially American-owned establishment located near 
downtown Maputo and frequented by expatriates.  Two of the 
criminals were armed with AK-47 assault rifles while the 
third was armed with a pistol.  The criminals ordered the 
Swiss manager to open the safe.  When he explained that he 
had no access to the safe, one of the criminals shot him in 
the leg and lower abdomen causing critical injuries.  The 
criminals then fled the scene without any proceeds.  When 
police initially responded they thoroughly disturbed the 
scene.  More than 14 hours after the incident, the 
 
MAPUTO 00001286  002 OF 002 
 
 
investigative division of the police still had not initiated 
an investigation.  The investigative division finally 
responded when RSO intervened on behalf of the American 
owner.  RSO agreed to transport the police investigators from 
their office to the restaurant (approximately one mile) in 
order to generate a report necessary for a proper insurance 
claim. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
HARDENED CRIMINALS ESCAPE, THIRD TIME FOR ANIBALZINHO 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On the morning of Sunday, December 07, 2008, Anibal 
"Anibalzinho" dos Santos, Jr., a notorious criminal 
responsible for the murder of an investigative journalist 
among other crimes, escaped for the third time from his cell 
in the Maputo City Police Command along with two other 
convicted murderers, using smuggled-in keys and tools. 
Investigators continue to look into the extent of police 
complicity in the escape.  One of the murderers was serving a 
sentence for the murder of a warden at a different prison 
while serving a sentence for yet another violent crime.  The 
two other escaped murderers remain at large.  Despite reports 
of being apprehended, dos Santos has not been seen since the 
re-capture, and we believe he may be dead or police may have 
invented the re-capture story to save face. 
 
¶7. (U) Following the purported re-capture, the national 
spokesperson for the PRM announced that Inspector General of 
the Ministry of Interior, General Benedito Zinocacossa, would 
lead an inquiry into the circumstances of the case.  Upon 
hearing this announcement Zinocacossa reached out to the 
local media and vehemently denied any knowledge of the 
investigation.  Zinocacossa, a 30 year police veteran, 
accused police leadership of being involved in the escape and 
of plotting to kill him.  Zinocacossa stated that "All of 
them in the police are dirty" and "Anibalzinho was released 
by police commanders."  The government has offered no 
reasonable explanation of these conflicting statements, and 
Zinocacossa has reported that he is simply on vacation in 
Maputo. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
COMMENT: VIOLENT CRIME AND PRM DEATHS, WEAK RULE OF LAW 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Incidents of violent crime continue to increase in 
and around Maputo, with PRM officers often being targeted, 
suggesting that rule of law continues to be a serious problem 
in Mozambique.  Well-armed criminal elements and a police 
force that is widely known to have been infiltrated and 
co-opted by criminal gangs provide little protection for 
citizens, to say nothing of the diplomatic community, and 
raise greater concerns about the role of international 
organized crime in Mozambique.  Perhaps most alarming is the 
weak response from the GRM and lack of public outcry about 
recent violence and high-level police assassinations, despite 
good coverage in the media.  The international community is 
heavily involved in supporting Mozambique's fragile democracy 
and to a lesser extent its military forces.  At the same 
time, little is being done by the international community to 
assist the PRM.  It is doubtful, that civil society and the 
rule of law will flourish in Mozambique until major problems 
with the PRM can be resolved. 
Chapman