Maputo – A Mozambican activist who had bullets thrown at his front door said on Tuesday that rights campaigners in the country face “constant danger”.
Adriano Nuvunga believes he was threatened because of his work on a $2 billion hidden debt scandal.
The vocal government critic, who heads Mozambique’s Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) non-profit, said two AK-47 cartridges were hurled at his house in the capital Maputo on Monday.
The words “Watch out, Nuvunga” were scribbled on a piece of paper wrapped around one of the bullets.
“This threat is related to my work as an activist, mainly because in recent months I have been working towards accountability for those involved in the hidden debt (scandal),” Nuvunga told AFP over the phone.
“I will have to be careful to ensure my safety, but the truth is that activists are in constant danger.”
The CDD has closely followed a scandal that erupted in 2016 when it emerged the government had taken out $2 billion in loans that it concealed from parliament, the public and other lenders.
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Prosecutors have charged 19 high-profile figures, forcing a former president and other top officials to testify in a case that has gripped the nation.
The scandal triggered Mozambique’s worst economic crisis since independence from Portugal four decades ago.
Dozens of rights groups on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Nuvunga in an open letter condemning the “cowardly” threat and calling for a thorough investigation.
“Regrettably Mozambique has an unfortunate history of impunity for attacks against human rights defenders,” the letter read.
“This macabre act takes place within the context of increasing closure of civic space and attempts to block the activities of civil society organisations in the country”.
This is not the first time Nuvunga has been targeted. He received a bomb threat in 2020, the same year the offices of an independent newspaper were torched.
Two years earlier the United Nations criticised authorities for failing to take action following attacks on a dozen rights activists and reporters critical of the government.
Police said they were “working on” the latest incident.
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Picture: Pixabay
Source: AFP
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