Former Mozambican Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, appeared before the Office of the Attorney General (PGR) in Maputo on Thursday, as part of an ongoing investigation into police actions during the post-election protests that rocked the country late last year.

Ronda’s questioning follows a similar hearing earlier this week involving the former commander of the Mozambican Republic Police (PRM), Bernardino Rafael. Both men are the subjects of a criminal complaint filed by civil society groups, accusing them of bearing responsibility for the deaths and destruction resulting from the violent crackdown on demonstrators.

The complaint, submitted in March by social activist Wilker Dias, director of the civic platform Decide, attributes accountability for the deaths of approximately 400 people during five months of unrest, as well as extensive damage to public and private property.

Neither Ronda nor Rafael spoke to the press following their respective hearings, and no details have been officially released regarding the proceedings or any potential legal outcomes.

Despite the silence, Mozambican civil society has welcomed the hearings as a significant step forward. “It shows that no one is above the law,” civil society groups say, adding that the process must go beyond symbolic gestures and lead to real accountability.

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) also praised the move, describing it as a historic and encouraging signal that suggests a shift in the country’s institutional posture. “Summoning former high-ranking police officials for questioning is unprecedented. It signals that the justice system may finally be willing to hold powerful figures accountable,” said CDD representative André Mulungo, speaking today to the press outside the Prosecutor’s Office.

Activists hope the inquiry marks the beginning of a more transparent and equitable era for justice in Mozambique — one in which accountability is no longer selective, and the culture of impunity is finally dismantled.