VZCZCXRO7173
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #0949 2221250
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101250Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7727
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC
UNCLAS MAPUTO 000949
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
AF/S FOR HTREGER, AF/RSA FOR MBITTRICK, DS/IP/AF,
DS/DSS/ITA FOR ROTHSTEIN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PGOV KCRM MZ
SUBJECT: UPSURGE IN VIOLENT CRIME: POLITICAL QUAGMIRE FOR
GUEBUZA?
Ref: MAPUTO 781
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Violent crime in metropolitan Maputo has
increased significantly in recent weeks. Crime is a top
domestic issue for the Guebuza government, and press
coverage is increasingly critical of his administrationQs
response to the wave. Interior Minister Jose Pacheco has
publicly promised that crime will be reduced by December
potentially putting his job on the line. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) In recent weeks there has been a significant
increase in the level of violent crime in Maputo and
outlying neighborhoods. The growing number of murders,
carjackings, home break-ins, armed assaults, and armed
robberies at ATMs are the focus of intense media attention.
As some of the crimes have occurred in areas where Embassy
employees live, RSO issued a written security notice to
Mission employees and to the non-official American
community recently that received widespread press coverage.
3. (SBU) News media has turned openly critical of the
government. On July 25, the Expresso newsletter, citing
unnamed government sources, unfavorably compared GuebuzaQs
presidency to that of former president Chissano, and
suggested that GuebuzaQs government may be in crisis. At
the same time, public opinion increasingly points to crime
as the most important domestic issue.
4. (SBU) President Guebuza has responded by meeting
several times with Interior Minister Pacheco to chart
police actions. Pacheco has since announced further
training for police and ordered military units to jointly
patrol the streets with the police as a show of force and
to reassure citizens that the government is listening. He
has also publicly promised to have crime under control by
December. These efforts appear to have reduced the number
of crime incidents the past week, but reports of violent
crimes continue.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: The recent crime wave is now a top
domestic concern for the Guebuza administration, and the
normally subdued media has been surprisingly blunt in its
criticism of the President. Opposition political parties
are calling for action. Minister PachecoQs public promise
to end the upswing in crime by December may set the stage
for his eventual dismissal. Even so, it is doubtful
whether such a change would prove effective in reducing
crime levels as the police remain underequipped, poorly
trained, and tainted by allegations of corruption. END
COMMENT.
CHAPMAN