Renamo gunmen murder two in attack on bus

Honde (Mozambique) (AIM) – Gunmen of the Mozambican rebel movement Renamo on Saturday morning opened fire on a bus in the central province of Manica, killing two people and injuring a further eight.

The ambush took place in the Honde area, in Barue district, on the main road from the provincial capital, Chimoio, to Tete, and on to Malawi and Zambia.The bus belonged to the private company Nagy Investments. The attackers shot the driver in the head. He lost control of the bus which careened off the road and only stopped when it hit a tree.The gunmen continued to fire at the immobilised bus, injuring several of the passengers.  The driver died of his wounds, and a passenger died while being taken to the nearby Catandica Rural Hospital. Of the other eight people hit, six suffered minor injuries and were soon discharged. The other two are still undergoing medical care.

Addressing a press conference in Chimoio, the Manica provincial police commander, Armando Canheze, said that because the ambush took place near a position of the defence and security forces, police were able to reach the scene before the attackers had an opportunity to loot the bus.

“A group of seven to ten individuals opened fire against the bus on the stretch between Chuala and Honde”, said Canheze. “We are working to neutralize the bandits who are sowing terror in the Honde area. We know that they are on a mountain which they are using as a hideout”.

Canheze said that transport along this stretch of road has returned to normal. Within minutes of the attack, vehicles were continuing to drive along the road, he said. Canheze urged the public to be more vigilant and to denounce to the authorities any unusual movements which might indicate potential disturbances to public order and tranquillity.

“We are at a time when vigilance is very important because the enemy is in our communities”, he said. “The police should be informed of any strange movement for a timely reaction”.

This is the third attack by Renamo gunmen in the Honde region in less than a month. In the previous two attacks vehicles of the defence and security forces on patrol came under fire.