The head of Mozambique’s Intelligence and Security Service (SISE), Bernardo Lidimba, died in a car accident on Saturday afternoon, according to the country’s Interior Minister, Pascoal Ronda.
Ronda said that while the exact circumstances of the accident are still under investigation, preliminary reports indicate that the vehicle carrying Lidimba and three members of his entourage overturned, resulting in the fatal crash on a road in Mpuzi, Mapai district, in the southern province of Gaza.
The driver and the other two passengers sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment. Their conditions are reported to be stable.
Comment
The news of Lidimba’s death sent shockwaves in Maputo and kicked the information ecosystem into overdrive. The question asked was what he was doing 468 km away from Maputo.
The emerging theory was that Lidimba might have been the victim of a murder to silence him. As head of SISE, Lidimba had been pivotal in directing actions to curtail protests for electoral justice following the announcement of 9 October general election results, giving a win to the ruling Frelimo party and its presidential candidate Daniel Chapo.
However, the opposition, notably PODEMOS (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique), have been challenging the outcome, claiming that the poll was rigged, an assertion backed by national and international observer missions.
Furthermore, two opposition figures were gunned down in a Maputo Street, sparking protests nationwide.
But Lidimba could also have loads of information on Nyusi and his various secret deals, which the former could pass on to the latter’s successor. And observers claim that this is what might have led to his death in the tragic accident. It does not help that another head of SISE, José Zumbire, died under mysterious circumstances in 2005 during the transition period from president Joaquim Chissano to Armando Guebuza.
But observers argue that Lidimba’s death might have been used to send a message to President Filipe Nyusi that any attempt to hang on to power beyond his appointed term of office will not be countenanced – there have been rumours that Nyusi might take advantage of the current tense situation to declare a state of emergency and eventually suspend the constitution.
Lidimba, a member of the Makonde ethnic group, shared this heritage with President Nyusi. Nyusi made a concerted effort to appoint individuals with Makonde origins or affiliations to lead the three branches of the security cluster. This is evident in the selection of Police General Commander Bernardino Rafael, a Makonde, and Chief of General Staff Joaquim Mangrasse, a native of neighbouring Niassa province who is closely allied with Nyusi.
As such, Lidimba’s death would weaken Nyusi and his inner circle who perhaps would hope to be protected by the triumvirate.
While it’s tempting to speculate, Lidimba’s accident may have just been a tragic coincidence.
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