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MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Assailants in Mozambique on Tuesday killed a prominent academic and expert in constitutional law by firing on the car he was riding in along a central thoroughfare in Maputo, the capital, authorities said.
Gilles Cistac died of his wounds after he was brought to Maputo Central Hospital, said Dr. Joao Fumane, the hospital's general director.
"The government has instructed the interior ministry to hunt and arrest those who assassinated Cistac so that they can be severely punished," said Antonio Gaspar, a presidential adviser.
Police are investigating possible motives for the killing, he said.
Cistac, a Mozambican of French origin, has worked as an adviser to various Cabinet ministers over the years. He had also advised the Administrative Tribunal, which oversees the legality of public spending.
Cistac had also said that constitutional arguments supported the idea of more autonomy in Mozambique's provinces. Renamo, a former guerrilla group that is the main political opposition party, has pushed for more autonomy.
Mozambique's central provinces experienced sporadic violence until a peace accord was signed weeks before a national election in October. The violence stemmed from tension between Renamo and Frelimo, the former civil war foe that runs the government.
Last week, Cistac was quoted as saying he would take legal action against an anonymous critic on Facebook who described him as a French spy.
Interviewed in the independent weekly "Savana," Cistac said he had experienced "signs of political and academic intolerance and even racism. I ignored them but now they are accusing me of criminal acts. I think this has gone far enough. I have to act. I cannot allow this group of criminals to carry on staining my name."
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