Maputo blasts caused by poor storage and human error.

Poor storage conditions including exposure to the elements, a lack of inspection and human error were all to blame for the explosions at an arsenal in the outer Maputo neighbourhood of Malhazine on 22 March. This is the result of investigations into the cause of the multiple blasts, which left at least 103 people dead and over 500 injured as they sent rockets, shells and other weapons flying in a ten-kilometres radius. Initially government officials blamed hot weather for triggering the explosions, while some have suggested that sabotage or the attempt to extract mercury from weapons stored in the arsenal might have been to blame. However, the commission of inquiry says it has found no evidence to support this theory.

President Armando Guebuza has ordered the destruction of all obsolete weaponry in the country and the relocation of arms depots to remote areas. Located in a densely populated are, the Malhazine arsenal contained 20 tonnes of obsolete materiel left over from the civil war. The government has also promised $12 million to rebuild homes destroyed in the blasts and said it will provide invalidity pensions for people maimed in the blast and pay for schooling for the children of the victims.