THE Mozambican Police have confirmed the death of at least 23 people due to a wave of misinformation about cholera disease in the country.
According to media reports, the commander-general of the Mozambique police (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, revealed this during a press conference in Ressano Garcia, in Maputo province on Wednesday.
He said 91 infrastructures were vandalised, mainly those of the government and community authorities while 27 violent cases related to cholera were recorded.
The majority of community leaders and health technicians were killed or wounded by people on allegations that they were bringing the disease to the communities.
According to the commander-general, some Mozambican police officers were also victims during the violence when they were trying to guarantee public order and security.
“We remain steadfast in guaranteeing order and security so that the country can enjoy peace, harmony, tranquillity, well-being and, above all, harmony among Mozambicans themselves,” he said.
Between May and November 2023, at least 16 people were arrested in Sofala province, in the centre of Mozambique, for passing on misinformation about cholera, the authorities said.
It would be recalled that earlier in May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against the spread of misinformation following the violence that trailed the spread of false claims about the spread of Cholera in Northern Mozambique.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
