This equipment will enable better border control, thus contributing to the fight against illegal practices.
"Following the work agenda of the Minister of the Interior, Manuel Gomes da Conceição Homem, in the province of Zaire, the Luvo border area was reinforced with new security equipment, with emphasis on high-range drones, which will allow greater monitoring of borders and control of any and all circulation that violates national security measures", informs the Ministry of the Interior, in a statement to which VerAngola had access.
The guardianship also says that the delivery of the equipment reflects its commitment "to modernize surveillance means and reinforce the operational capacity of border security forces, combating illegal practices that compromise national security and economic stability in the region".
Last Saturday, the Minister of the Interior began a two-day workday in the province of Zaire. On the occasion, the Interior Minister announced that an investigation will be opened to "investigate the persistence of fuel smuggling at the Kanga Nguvo border post, which connects Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)".
Speaking after a visit to the two main border posts of the host municipality (Luvo and Kanga Nguvo), Manuel Homem made it known that "the Kanga Nguvo border post is identified and classified by the national security services as the most critical in terms of smuggling of fuel for the neighboring country, which, according to him, does not justify its continued operation", says a statement from the provincial government of Zaire, to which VerAngola had access.
Thus, the minister said that he left instructions to the inspection team of the ministry headed by him and the General Command of the National Police so that an investigation can be launched with a view to investigating the "real motivations that prevent the closure of this border post, considered the most vulnerable to the illegal crossing of considerable quantities of petroleum products across the border".
Manuel Homem warned that if signs of agents or officers involved in fuel smuggling are confirmed, sanctions will be applied.
"According to the minister, if signs of involvement of agents or officers of the corporation in fuel trafficking to the DRC from the Kanga Nguvo station are confirmed, they will be exemplarily held criminally responsible", the note reads.
The newly appointed Minister of the Interior expressed concern about the "phenomenon of smuggling along the border perimeter", having appealed to sector bodies "to redouble their efforts in combating this type of crime".
Still in the field of fuel, the minister expressed concern about the high number of fuel pumps on the road between Mbanza Kongo and Luvo. "One of the situations that caught our attention is the presence on a route of almost 10 kilometers from the municipal headquarters to Luvo of more than 20 fuel stations under construction", said the minister, who, cited by Angop, warned of the fact that this could be a sign of fuel smuggling, prompting the provincial government to intensify surveillance in the licensing processes of economic operators operating in this field.
He reaffirmed that, within the scope of border control, surveillance and inspection activities, several technological means are being installed in several border provinces in order to combat cross-border crimes.
During his workday in Zaire, the minister also delivered two high-tech drones, capable of monitoring up to 20 kilometers, to the Border Guard Police.
"Manuel Homem also took advantage of his stay in Mbanza Kongo to present to the local government the new Interior delegate and provincial commander of the National Police in Zaire, Commissioner José António Gaspar, who replaces Firmino Uyamba", says the statement from the provincial government.
It is worth noting that, on the second day of work, the minister verified the "technical state of the infrastructure that temporarily accommodates the staff of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC)".
According to another note from the Ministry of the Interior, to which VerAngola had access, "at this moment, a set of transitional and emergency measures is underway for the definitive transfer of staff to the new facilities of the Provincial Directorate of Criminal Investigation, an infrastructure which, in addition to providing better accommodation conditions and dignity to the forces, will allow the installation of new means and equipment, the rehabilitation works of which are proceeding at a good pace".
On his trip to Zaire, the Minister of the Interior was accompanied by a delegation made up of the Secretary of State for the Interior, Arnaldo Manuel Carlos, the Commander-General of the National Police of Angola, Commissioner-General Francisco Monteiro Ribas da Silva, among others.
