Actor Profile | Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM)

The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) is the most visible expression of the state’s monopoly of physical force. Though its establishment was rooted in the General Peace Agreement (GPA) of 1992 that ended the civil war between Frelimo and Renamo, the ruling Frelimo party has been able to exercise considerable control over the force in the years since.  

In the early years of the Cabo Delgado insurgency, up to 2021, PRM had a prominent role in counterinsurgency operations. For example, its parent ministry, the Ministry of the Interior, was responsible for contracting the South African private military contractor Dyck Advisory Group in 2020 to provide air support to counterinsurgency operations. That contract lasted until the fall of Pemba in March 2021. Subsequent commercial contracting, such as with Paramount, and bilateral training agreements have been with the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM). 

While its counterinsurgency role has reduced, the PRM’s role in policing protest events and, at times, intervening violently in protests has become more prominent. In particular, the response to opposition protests in the wake of the municipal elections of October 2023 suggests the force’s role in the October 2024 election may be more consequential than its counterinsurgency work. 

This profile uses open sources to examine PRM’s origins arising from the GPA, structure, and resourcing. Drawing on ACLED data, it examines the force’s changing role in counterinsurgency and the policing of political protest.