Mozambique anti-jihadist force probes corpse-burning video

A regional force fighting jihadists in Mozambique said on Tuesday it had opened an investigation over a video apparently showing some of its troops burning corpses.

The clip circulating on social media depicts some soldiers hurling a corpse over a pile of burning rubble, where at least another body is already strewn.

A soldier pours a liquid over the body as others, including one wearing a South African uniform, watch and film the scene on their mobile phones.

Details of the incident were not immediately clear.

In a statement, the southern African force in Mozambique said it "take(s) note of the viral video clip... depicting members wearing apparent SADC member states military uniform burning bodies of the deceased".

The force's commander has convened a board of inquiry to "thoroughly investigate" the matter but is "unable to confirm that the incident occurred within his area of responsibility," the statement said.

Regional troops were deployed in Mozambique's north in 2021 under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The mission, in which South African troops are the mainstay, aims to shore up the Mozambican military in the fight against Islamist militants.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said the "despicable act" in the video entailed "throwing deceased bodies."

It is believed to have taken place in November in Mozambique, the SANDF said.

"The SANDF does not condone in anyway the acts committed in the video and those who are found guilty of such acts will be brought to book," it said.

South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party described the incident as an "embarrassment" for the country.

It called on the government to launch its own investigation to clarify among other things whether the bodies were of civilians or combatants.

"There are international standards and regulations for dealing with the bodies of the dead in a dignified and human way even in a conflict zone," shadow defence minister Kobus Marais said in a statement.

"What is shown on the video is unacceptable and must be rejected in the strongest possible way."

More than 4,500 people have been killed and almost a million have been forced to flee their homes since Islamic State-linked militants launched an insurgency in Mozambique's gas-rich Cabo Delgado province in 2017.

The government has regained control over much of the region since the deployment of thousands of troops from SADC countries and Rwanda.

But attacks and incursions from the jihadists continue.