Wiriyamu Massacre
The Wiriyamu Massacre or Operation Marosca was a massacre of the civilian population of the village of Wiriyamu in Mozambique by Portuguese soldiers in December 1972.
In September 2022, Portuguese prime minister António Costa called it "an unforgivable act that dishonours Portuguese history".
Background
The Portuguese Colonial War broke out in 1961 in response to challenges to Portuguese colonial rule by African independence movements following the success of Democratic Republic of the Congo obtaining independence from Belgium a year earlier. In 1970, FRELIMO guerillas began operating along the Mozambican section of the Zambezi River. The presence of FRELIMO and other anti-colonial revolutionary guerilla organisations sparked intense and widespread panic among settlers. In response, the Portuguese Army initiated in 1971 a series of "cleanup" operations along the Zambezi, from Mucanha to Mukumbura to Inhaminga. These operations involved widespread atrocities and the depopulating of the area to block the advance of guerillas, who relied on support from the local African populace. By 1972, the Portuguese government deployed large amounts of Army units and DGS corps to the area, with their behaviour and that of the settler militias becoming increasingly brutal.Massacre
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 and 300 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. All of the victims were civilians.