The leader of a mosque in the town of Chiúre in southern Cabo Delgado was released on Monday, after spending the weekend apparently as a captive of Mozambique’s armed forces.
The man known locally as Carlitos was taken from his home in the Muajaja neighbourhood on Thursday evening by armed men, and bundled into a Mahindra pickup truck.
Sources told Zitamar that Carlitos was taken to the military barracks of Macarara, in the district of Ancuabe, suggesting that the kidnapping was carried out by members of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FDS).
The reasons for the abduction, and Carlitos’ subsequent release, remain unclear. Calls to the Chiure district chief of police went unanswered.
"The man abducted on the 7th was released and has been with his family since [Monday]," a local resident said.
News outlet Carta de Moçambique reported that Carlitos was a member of ruling party Frelimo, who was once a political candidate for opposition party MDM, and previously served as a traffic officer in the Mozambican police.
