The governor of the central Mozambican province of Sofala, Felicio Zacarias, accused Poland and Chile of interfering in the governance of the country, through members of the Catholic Church, reports Monday's issue of the daily pasper "Noticias".
Speaking to reporters at the end of a visit to the district of Maringue, in his province, Zacarias said that he came to this conclusion after an audience with a Chilean priest and a Polish nun, who accused the Mozambican government of acting on false informations about armed men in Maringue, once the stronghold of the former rebel mnovement Renamo, who have been creating panic among the local population.
During the last two weeks, Renamo uniformed and armed men have been accused of kidnappings, and of beating up people, particularly members of the local government authorities.
Zacarias describes the two foreigners as more of "distabilising agents" than religious practitioners.
He also accused them of lack of respect with the Mozambican state institutions and with President Joaquim Chissano.
"They called me a comunist, and I think that this issue of Renamo armed men in Maringue has a "big hand" of foreigners. Even more, they told me that they were the best known among the local population. Then I told them that we are faced with another example of what is happening in Nampula", he said.
Nampula is one of the country's northern provinces, where recently a Brasilian nun took it to her charge to spread rumours that a South African couple was involved in kidnapping of people and trafficking in human organs.
Investigations by the Attorney General's office are yet to determine the veracity of such accusations.
Zacarias said that his conclusion that those two missionaries are interfering in the country's governance is also based on the fact that those two countries took a unilateral initiative to assess the government's performance, involving all religious authorities in the central region of the country.
"What the hack of a story is that? A Polish woman comes here and starts interfering in politics that only have to do with Mozambique. She calls us marxist-leninist. I think that this is a terrible lack of respect with our institutions. Nobody can go from here to Poland and interfere in politics of that country. We won the elections peacifully and respect is due. We cannot compare an elected government with a handful of people moving around with firearms illegally. If that is to be that, then we do not need the money from Poland or Chile. They should leave us alone with our religions and our spirits", said Zacarias.
Fonte: AIM
