Military conflict continues in Tete and Manica

While in the capital, Maputo,preparations stemmed for World Day of Peace (4 October)with speeches to appeal for peace, shots echoed in the central region,particularly in the provinces of Manica and Tete, causing despair to citizens living in those areas.During the end-of-week government troops were deployed in several fronts in Gondola district, looking for Afonso Dhlakama. At dawn on Friday, there were several clashes between forces of the Government and military men of Renamo in the region of Chitalu, location of Mupindonhanga, Gondola district,Manica province. The population was under fire and the majority abandoned the region. It all started when a battalion of Military, hunting Afonso Dhlakama, went for that settlement and allegedly began to rape the population, accusing them of protecting the Renamo president, who is at large. Several people's were burned in the hunt for Afonso Dhlakama. The spokesman of the provincial command of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique in Manica, Belmiro Mutandiua confirmed on "Canalmoz" that there were clashes,but did not indicate the reasons or the number of victims. Belmiro Mutandiua also declined to comment on the actions of military troops of the government that are said to have set fire to the huts of the population. Congressman Antonio Muchanga, spokesman for Renamo also confirmed the confrontations. Muchanga denounced"Military forces drives combined to eliminate physically Afonso Dhlakama, thus contradicting the appeals for national and international community for a commitment to a serious and honest dialogue in order to restore peace and democracy. " In Tete, last Friday, the Renamo troops learned that one Battalion of government forces had accidentaly shot at each other in Nkondedzi region,in Moatize, in the same spot where, last week, the local Renamo delegate was murdered in front of his wife and children, an action whose authorship is attributed to the forces of the Government. Gunmen of Renamo are believed to have ambushed the battalion and there were deaths on the side of the Defence and Security Forces.The incident occurred in upper Ndande. On Saturday, government troops returned to the scene and set fire to several people's homes, claiming to be soldiers of Renamo.However the whereabouts of Renamo president, who disappeared after the government forces tried to assassinate him, on 25 September,are not known.