The IPI global network is deeply concerned following reports of the enforced disappearance of journalist Arlindo Chissale from the online newspaper Pinnacle. Chissale went missing on January 7, after being forced into an unmarked vehicle by suspected agents of the state security forces as he was traveling from Pemba, Cabo Delgado, to Nacala. Chissale’s family has said they believe that he was killed but his body has not yet been found.
IPI joins local press freedom organizations like the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Mozambique in calling on Mozambican authorities to investigate Chissale’s disappearance.
“Mozambique authorities must urgently investigate this incident, disclose the whereabouts of Arlindo, Chissale, and hold accountable those behind his apparent enforced disappearance”, IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “We are gravely concerned by the continued attacks against journalists in the wake of the October 2024 election. Mozambique must respect independent journalism and press freedom as part of the country’s domestic and international human rights obligations.”
It is believed that Chissale’s disappearance could be linked to his reportage on the Cabo Delgado conflict while others think it could be politically motivated. He is a well-known journalist who has been reporting on the Islamist insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region.
Case of journalist Ibraimo Mbaruco
Mozambican authorities have repeatedly been cited for failing to investigate cases of torture, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings. Chissale’s enforced disappearance and reported torture serves as a chilling reminder of the case of Ibraimo Mbaruco, who is also suspected of having been kidnapped in Cabo Delgado on April 7, 2020. His whereabouts and fate are equally unknown.
Mbaruco is reported to have been surrounded by armed men on the night of his disappearance. Following his disappearance, IPI and partners submitted a letter to then-President Filipe Nyusi, expressing deep concern about the government’s attacks on journalists covering the insurgency in the Cabo Delgado province. IPI raised Mbaruco’s case during a press freedom mission to Mozambique in August 2022, and in May 2023, IPI submitted a letter to the Attorney General’s Office, to seek an understanding of what efforts had been made to investigate Mbaruco’s disappearance and to request an update on the status of their investigation. The office has not provided a response.
Intolerance of critical reportage on the Calbo Delgado conflict
The authorities have not been responsive to independent and critical reportage on the conflict in the Cabo Delgado province and seem to be attempting to control the media narrative on the conflict. Reports indicate that Valige Tauabo, governor of the province admonished journalists for their independent reportage on the attacks in February 2024, allegedly accusing the journalists of discrediting the army and the authorities’ response to the conflict.
Assault on journalists covering post-election protests
The press freedom environment in Mozambique remains deeply strained in the wake of the October 2024 general elections, which saw at least 300 people killed amid crackdowns on protesters and post-election unrest. Several journalists, including South African journalists Bongani Siziba and Sbonelo Mkhasibe as well as Mozambican reporter Charles Mangwiro were arrested, and detained.
Recommendations from IPI’s 2022 press freedom mission
In August 2022, an IPI high-level delegation carried out a press freedom mission to Mozambique. The mission report revealed the extent of the pressure under which media and journalists operate. Some of the key issues identified include physical attacks, limited access to information, use of criminal defamation laws against journalists, the crackdown on independent reporting on corruption, and the conflict in the conflict-prone zone of Cabo Delgado. Read the report’s full recommendations here.
