Maputo in Chaos: Vigilante Militias Hunt "Machete Men" After Massive Prison Break

Maputo, December 30, 2024 - Picture this: the sun setting over Maputo, but the streets aren't quiet. Instead, they're crawling with makeshift militias, their eyes darting for any sign of the so-called "homens-catana" - the machete-wielding phantoms rumored to be terrorizing the city after a daring escape from Maputo Central Prison.

The air is thick with fear and whispers. Over 1,500 inmates vanished into the night, and now, the myth of knife-wielding escapees breaking into homes has gripped the city. But while residents arm themselves with whatever they can find, from kitchen knives to old family heirlooms, the police deny the existence of these mythical "machete men."

Yet, the panic has already taken root, spawning a modern-day witch hunt reminiscent of Mozambique's one-party state era. Vigilantes, driven by fear and rumor, have taken to the streets, stopping strangers for interrogation, with some encounters turning deadly. In Matola's Machava, a young man, later confirmed to be an escapee, was brutally killed by a mob - a grim reminder that justice in the hands of the frightened is often blind.

The plot thickens with political intrigue. Former presidential hopeful Venancio Mondlane throws fuel on the fire, alleging that this mass escape was a calculated move by the police to unsettle his support base. Meanwhile, the government's narrative is a tangled web of contradictions. One day, it's an inside job, the next, it's the work of Mondlane's protesters storming the prison gates.

Amidst this chaos, Deputy Justice Minister Filimao Suaze announces a Commission of Inquiry but keeps its members under wraps. In a bizarre twist, he reports that nearly 300 of the escapees have come back to prison - some dragged back, others turning themselves in, perhaps preferring the known dangers of the cell to the unknown threats outside.

Maputo's streets are now a stage for a drama of fear, politics, and the raw human instinct for safety. As the city waits for answers, one thing is clear - the escape from Maputo Central Prison has unleashed more than just inmates; it's unleashed a storm of paranoia, vigilante justice, and a battle for the truth.