Mozambique police accused of using spy networks to pursue government critics

More than 18 months after Mozambique's disputed October 2024 election, civil society groups accuse security forces of carrying out abductions and killings. Rights defenders say the National Criminal Investigation Service, known as Sernic, has played a central role in the repression. © Baptiste Condominas/RFI

Mozambique's criminal police are under growing scrutiny as political repression continues more than 18 months after disputed elections triggered unrest. Civil society groups denounce abductions and killings by security forces, with particular attention focused on the National Criminal Investigation Service, known as Sernic. This fifth instalment of Mozambique Exposed – an investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories to which RFI contributed – examines claims that Sernic has become a form of political police serving Mozambique's ruling party.

At 8.40pm on 23 January 2025, Simiao Carvalho was walking through Choupal, a neighbourhood behind the airport in Maputo, Mozambique's capital.