The President of the Assembly of the Republic today marked the 50th anniversary of the Wiriamou massacre in Mozambique during the colonial war and says it is important to apologize for the approximately 400 hundred civilian casualties.
Such a position on one of the most tragic facts of the colonial war in Mozambique is contained in a video message that Augusto Santos Silva posted on his Twitter account.
“Today, 50 years have passed since the Wiriamu massacre, and this fact must be remembered. This is a fact that we are ashamed of, but we must not forget about it,” emphasizes the Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic.
The former Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs later notes that On December 16, 1972, a detachment of Portuguese soldiers and the Portuguese political police “carried out a massacre in a number of Viriamou villages.”
“This massacre was condemned a few months later by Catholic priests. And this condemnation contributed to the international isolation of the Estado Novo regime and increased awareness in Portugal of the absolute need to end this regime and end the colonial war,” Augusto Santos supported. Silvia.
According to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, there have already been other “massacres” in this area of Mozambique that have been condemned, namely by Catholic priests.
However, from the point of view of the Speaker of Parliament, “Weriamou’s massacre was especially barbaric.”
“Among the dead, no servicemen were found, no militants were found among the victims, all the victims were civilians. And we are talking about almost four hundred fatal victims of this massacre,” he stressed.
Augusto Santos Silva, “Today is the day when we need to remember the massacre, apologize to its victims and honor the memory of people like Fr. [Adrian] Hastings, whom they condemned, and also in honor of the April captains.”
“The captains of April, with their Movement of the Armed Forces, ended the Estado Novo regime, ended the colonial war and allowed a new path to be opened in relations between Portugal and Mozambique. The path we are following today is the path of friendship, cooperation and deep cooperation between the two countries and two peoples,” he added.
