Court begins to judge accused of rebellion a year after the incidents in Cafunfo

Zeca Mutchima has been detained by the Criminal Investigation Service since February 8, 2021, indicted for the crimes of "association of malefactors and armed rebellion", following the incidents of January 30, 2021, in Cafunfo, Lunda Norte province.

The trial, which places a further 25 defendants in the dock, will take place in Dundo.

According to the police, about 300 people linked to the MPPLT, which for years has defended autonomy in that region rich in mineral resources, tried to invade, in the early hours of January 30, 2021, a police station in Cafunfo, and in defense the forces of order and security killed six people.

The police version is contradicted by the leaders of the MPPLT, political parties in the opposition and local civil society, who speak of more than a dozen deaths.

Zeca Mutchima is appointed by the authorities as the leader of this alleged "act of rebellion", which for local citizens was a "peaceful demonstration".

The Public Ministry (MP) accused Zeca Mutchima and 25 protesters involved in protests in Cafunfo, in an order, for committing crimes of outrage against the State and its symbols and association of criminals.

According to the order that Lusa had access to, Zeca Mutchima is being accused in a single case with 25 other co-defendants, having in common the crimes of outrage against the State and its symbols and association of malefactors, while the protesters will also answer for the crimes of rebellion.

The order states that the 25 co-defendants and others, in a composition of 400 people, belonging to the so-called MPPLT, were armed with AKM-type firearms, shotguns, arrows, irons, sticks, cutting instruments, handcrafted explosive devices, forks ( slingshots), small axes, machetes and superstition statues moved to the premises where the Cafunfo police station operates, with the aim of occupying it.