MOZAMBIQUE: INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT with the media continues being constrained, as the government grapples to contain the insurgency and conflict in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado. To this day there has been no substantive inquiry into the forced disappearance of Ibraimo Mbaruco despite repeated requests to President Felipe Nyusi by regional, continental and international media freedom advocacy organisations to conduct a thorough investigation. By Ernesto Saul Nhapanze INTRODUCTION M Encompassing this, is the culture of impunity that makes the practice of independent journalism difficult. During the period under review authorities failed to investigate growing cases of violations targeting journalists. OZAMBIQUE like most southern African countries’ independence was ushered in by a liberation struggle. While media violations dropped to 11 reported cases in 2022 from 23 the year before, journalists continue to operate in an environment engulfed by fear and intimidation. Typical of most countries whose independence came through revolutionary movements, the relationship between authorities and the media has often been an uneasy one. As the country heads towards local elections in 2023 and general elections in 2024, there has beena noticeable shrinkage in the country’s civic space.(1) Over the last few years, the tenuous relationship This closure dates back to the tenure of former 49