Militia loyal to the government have claimed victory in the capturing and killing of four young men suspected to be insurgents. The attack, on 7 October 2021, in Muatide, Muidumbe District, was precipitated by a tip-off received from another young person, which led the militia to be suspicious of the four and further detain them. Upon their detainment, the militia claims they found Mozambican military uniforms in their bags, and deciding that was enough proof of guilt, unceremoniously executed them. This incident of extra-judicial killing is an indication of the brazen impunity with which the pro-government militias are accused of operating under, with multiple reports of detainments, torture and summary executions attributed to the. However, with more people returning to their homes and cities, and relative peace prevailing, the government may become tacitly more reliant on these fringe groups, which could lead to further incidences of violence. In that case, there would be even less accountability by the militias, and greater opportunity for them to act with impunity.
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