MOZAMBIQUE

Shock new Mozambican Aids stats Posted Fri, 29 Jun 2001

The Mozambican health ministry says in a new report that between 500 and 700 of the country's citizens contract the virus that causes Aids every day.

About 1,3 million Mozambicans - about 7% of the population - are HIV-infected, the report said.

"There is the need to break the silence around sexuality, because taboo about this matter may jeopardise the future of the country," the report added. It also called for condoms to be distributed to young people.

Most of those dying of Aids-related causes were younger than 40, and 65 to 70 percent of new infections occur in those younger than 30.

The report estimated that more than 1,6 million Mozambicans would die of Aids during the next 10 years.

http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/453951.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 02, 2001

Answers

Glad you mentioned this country, Martin. A headline I saw back in October/November has been bugging me ever since I did not check-out the article. The headline said that 80 jail prisoners had mysteriously died overnight. No cause of death given, but I assumed there would be more headlines about such a strange event. There weren't, and the story has stuck in my mind as one of the strangest I've seen in a while.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 02, 2001.

Rachel, Is this what you were looking for?

Charges Dropped Against Prison Police Officers

June 26, 2001 Posted to the web June 26, 2001

Public prosecutors dropped murder charges against two of five police officers suspected of being responsible for the death of 83 people who were jammed into a small prison cell and who suffocated to death. The 83 died in November in Montepuez, a small town in northern Mozambique. The charges against the two officers were dropped because there was not sufficient evidence that they directly caused the deaths, the Mozambique News Agency reported on Friday.

Prosecution on first degree murder charges against Montepuez district police commander Dahalili Sumail and officers Terciano Mithale and Horacio Nhoca continues. Mithale was the officer on duty on the night of the deaths, and Nhoca was in charge of the cell, according to the report. The case is set to continue on July 20. According to the report, many of the dead prisoners were supporters of the rebel Renamo group, now the country's main opposition party, who had been arrested following nation-wide anti-government demonstrations. At least 41 people were killed in clashes between protesters and police during those demonstrations. The report said Rnamo and the ruling party Frelimo fought a civil war that ended in 1992. Renamo claims the December elections were rigged, though international observers and the country's election commission said they were fair.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200106260013.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 02, 2001.

Yes, Martin, that's it. What an awful explanation, situation. Amazing that something like this can happen and yet receive so little media attention. You did well to find it.

I've heard of overcrowding of our own jail cells in small northern communities, though. To the best of my knowledge, they haven't resulted in death--but they could have.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 03, 2001.