As night fell on Thursday, the group of 40 Mozambicans occupying the German embassy showed no signs of leaving, and their leader even made melodramatic threats that they would rather die in the embassy than give up their struggle.
The 40 are citizens who once worked as migrant workers in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The occupation of the embassy, which began on Tuesday, is the latest move in their attempts to force the Mozambican and German governments to pay them huge sums of money.
During Thursday German ambassador Ulf Dieter Klemm met with the former migrants (colloquially known as "majermanes") twice in attempts to persuade them to leave the building, and allow the embassy staff to resume their work.
But, as with his previous efforts on Tuesday and Wednesday, he had no success.
On the road outside the embassy a large contingent of the riot police stands guard. Up until Thursday afternoon it was possible to look into the embassy building and see the majermanes gesturing. But Klemm decided to heighten their isolation by putting a tarpaulin over the entrance. The occupiers cannot see what is happening on the road, and nobody outside can see them.
AIM phoned Alberto Mahuaie, the coordinator of the Forum of Returnees from the ex-GDR, which claims to represent the majermanes, on his cell phone. He admitted that since the occupation began, the 40 majermanes have not had either a hot meal or a bath.
On Wednesday night Klemm gave them some bread - but this worked out at just half a small loaf each.
They are drinking water from the taps in the embassy bathrooms, and are sleeping on the floor of the visitors' reception area.
So would Mahuaie consider leaving the embassy ? "If it's necessary for us to die here, then we shall die", he replied. He told AIM the majermanes would not hand themselves over to the police.
So far Klemm has not authorised the Mozambican police to enter the premise and remove the majermanes by force. Doubtless the ambassador fears that the use of force could lead to serious damage inside the building. If no further food is delivered, then the occupation is bound to collapse within the next couple of days.
It has served no purpose at all, with the German authorities insisting that they owe the majermanes nothing, and the Mozambican government sticking to its position that, beyond the 10 million dollars or so in repayment of social security contributions already agreed, they too will pay the former migrants nothing.
Fonte: AIM
