Maputo — The Mozambican authorities last week denied entry to the country to 26 foreign citizens who could give no reason for their visit or explain where they intended to stay.

According to the spokesperson for the Maputo City Police Command, Orlando Mudumune, the group included eight Pakistanis, seven Nigerians, six Bangladeshis and five Somalis.

They arrived at Maputo International Airport on an Ethiopian Airways flight from Addis Ababa, but were detained on arrival and repatriated.

Mudumune told reporters on Monday that the 26 were unable to explain what they intended to do in Mozambique.

“There was no clarity on their part about why they were entering the country”, he said. “They did not explain where they would stay or what money they had to live on”.

These incidents at the airport have become a regular occurrence, and they usually involve passengers carried by Ethiopian Airways.

Mudumune also said that during the past week the Maputo police arrested 67 individuals in connection with a variety of crimes.

The traffic police inspected 3,723 vehicles, and 2,004 of the people driving them were fined for various offences. This figure includes 48 motorists fined for drunken driving. Seven motorists who offered bribes to traffic policemen were arrested.