Wiriyamu Massacre

The Wiriyamu Massacre or Operation Marosca was a massacre of civilian population of the village of Wiriyamu in Mozambique by Portuguese soldiers in December 1972.

Wiriyamu Massacre
LocationWiriyamu, Mozambique
Date16 December 1972
Attack type
shooting
Deaths150-300
InjuredUnknown
PerpetratorsPortuguese Army
PIDE/DGS

On 16 December 1972, the Portuguese 6th company of Mozambique Commandos killed the inhabitants of the village of Wiriyamu, in the district of Tete. Referred to as the 'Wiriyamu Massacre', the soldiers killed between 150 (according to the Red Cross) and 300 (according to a much later investigation by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso based in testimonies from soldiers) villagers accused of sheltering FRELIMO guerrillas.

The action, named "Operation Marosca", was planned at the instigation of PIDE/DGS agents and guided by agent Chico Kachavi, who was later assassinated while an inquiry into the events was being carried out. The soldiers were told by this agent that "the orders were to kill them all", never mind that only civilians, women and children included, were found.[1] All of the victims were civilians.

Aftermath

The massacre was recounted in July 1973 by the British Catholic priest, Father Adrian Hastings, and two other Spanish missionary priests. Later counter-claims have been made in a report of Archbishop of Dar es Salaam Laurean Rugambwa that alleged that the killings were carried out by FRELIMO combatants, not Portuguese forces.[2] In addition, others claimed that the alleged massacres by Portuguese military forces were fabricated to tar the reputation of the Portuguese state abroad.[3] Portuguese journalist Felícia Cabrita reconstructed the Wiriyamu massacre in detail by interviewing both survivors and former members of the Portuguese Army Commandos, the unit that carried out the massacre. Cabrita's report was published in the Portuguese weekly newspaper Expresso and later in a book containing several of the journalist's articles.[4]

References
  1. Gomes, Carlos de Matos, Afonso, Aniceto. Os Anos da Guerra Colonial - Wiriyamu, De Moçambique para o mundo. Lisboa, 2010
  2. Arslan Humbarachi & Nicole Muchnik, Portugal's African Wars, N.Y., 1974.
  3. Adrian Hastings, The Daily Telegraph (June 26, 2001)
  4. Cabrita, Felícia (2008). Massacres em África. A Esfera dos Livros, Lisbon. pp. 243–282. ISBN 978-989-626-089-7.
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