Mozambican border guards arrested 120 illegal immigrants who were found hidden in two fuel tankers, state radio reported on Thursday. Border guard commander, Ibraimo Mangere, said the immigrants were mostly from countries in the Horn of Africa, The Associated Press quoted the radio as saying. «They were hidden in appalling conditions in tankers normally used to carry fuel», he said. Mangere said the immigrants, who were picked up in the western province of Tete, were heading for Zimbabwe although their final destination could have been South Africa. They had come from refugee camps in Malawi that have been closed. He said the group were being kept at a district police station for questioning. Mangere added that police had also arrested five Congolese soldiers, who were also heading for Zimbabwe. «They too had entered Mozambique via Malawi carrying military weaponry,» he said, but gave no details on the type and amount of weapons. He said the soldiers were in police care and an investigation had been launched. The long and porous borders of Tete province are used by many illegal immigrants from other parts of Africa who try to reach the Mozambican capital Maputo before heading for neighboring South Africa. An influx of illegal immigrants has also been reported in the central province of Manica, where Zimbabweans have been crossing the border to escape dire conditions in their home country.
