New York, August 27, 2025— Ahead of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on August 30, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Mozambican chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Mozambique) call on authorities to provide credible answers on the fate of two journalists, Ibraimo Abú Mbaruco and Arlindo Chissale, both of whom went missing under similar circumstances in the restive Cabo Delgado region in northeastern Mozambique.
Mbaruco, a reporter and news presenter with Palma Community Radio, was last seen leaving his office on April 7, 2020, around 6 p.m. Soon after, he sent a text message to a colleague saying that he was “surrounded by soldiers.”
On January 7, 2025, Chissale, editor of the website Pinnacle News, was in the village of Silva Macua when a group of eight men, some of whom were dressed in national security and defense uniforms, told him to disembark from a public minibus. He has not been heard from or seen since.
“The families of journalists Ibraimo Abù Mbaruco and Arlindo Chissale have been devastated by their disappearances and the government’s failure to properly investigate their cases. The suggestion of military complicity is a further damning sign that Mozambique is not safe for journalists,” said CPJ Africa Regional Director Angela Quintal. “The government of President Daniel Chapo should provide answers about Mbaruco and Chissale’s whereabouts as part of a broader effort to reassure Mozambican journalists of their safety and freedom.”
“It is strange and doesn’t make sense that the disappearance of a journalist has been archived without exhausting every line of technical and independent inquiry. This decision reveals the Mozambican state’s lack of interest in clarifying crimes against journalists, including the case of Arlindo Chissale, about which, after eight months, the authorities remain silent and indifferent,” said Ernesto Nhanale, MISA Mozambique’s Executive Director.
In the days after Mbaruco went missing, family and colleagues repeatedly sent him text messages and tried to call his phone, but it was turned off. Mbaruco’s phone was switched on again on June 8, 2020, according to MISA Mozambique. The organization informed the authorities of this development and called on them to use geolocation technology to trace the journalist’s movements.
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told MISA Mozambique that soldiers took Mbaruco to Mueda, a city about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Palma, for interrogation.
As for Chissale, he received a tip that he was at risk and on an official “kill list” hours before his disappearance. In the months preceding his disappearance, he had published political commentary about Mozambique’s disputed October 2024 elections, notably expressing support for the opposition and accusing the ruling Frelimo party of fraud. CPJ and MISA Mozambique documented significant press freedom violations during the post-election crisis.
Chissale had faced threats and harassment in connection with his work before. In November 2022, he was arrested and detained for six days, initially accused of terrorism but later charged with working without journalistic accreditation.
Cabo Delgado has been the site of an Islamic State-linked insurgency since 2017. CPJ and MISA Mozambique have documented harassment and arrests of journalists while operating in the region.
During a February visit to the Mozambican city of Pemba, President Chapo called on journalists to “continue to do their jobs with excellence.”
In a March letter to the president, CPJ said it would be “difficult” for reporters to comply with the presidential directive as long as there is an environment of fear and his government fails to take “meaningful action to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the disappearance of journalists Ibraimo Mbaruco and Arlindo Chissale.”
About the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal. For media queries, contact: aquintal@cpj.org or press@cpj.org
About the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
The Media Institute of Southern Africa’s mission is to promote plural, independent, and diversified social communication that ensures citizens are well-informed and demand transparency in governance. For media queries contact: enhanale@misa.org.mz or info@misa.org.mz
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.