has both condemned Vuma’s shooting and seen it as part of a pattern whereby businesspeople have become the targets of criminal groups in Mozambique — and the primary target for kidnappings.
After the peak in 2013 and 2014, the rates of kidnappings has since declined, ranging between 14 and 19 a year between 2015 and 2020 . Although the figures do give an indication of prevailing trends, it is worth noting that many kidnappings may go unreported to police. Ransoms are negotiated according to the kidnappers’ estimate of what the victim’s family is able to pay, with the kidnappers sometimes gleaning inside knowledge through connections with the victim’s bank. Adriano Nuvunga, a professor and head of the Mozambican think-tank Centre for Democracy and Development, says that “there are signs that bank workers give information about the victims’ balances and movements to kidnapping planners”., who was rescued by police on May 20 this year.
The July 2020 shooting of Vuma, the business leader, was also reportedly linked to the police. A security guard who witnessed the attack told the press that Vuma had identified the shooter as “Salimo”. Ongoing press investigations have identified “Salimo” as a police officer who has been hired as a hitman by wealthy individuals.