Dozens of Mozambican riot police and soldiers raided an empty hide-out of armed supporters of the opposition party Renamo in central Mozambique over the weekend, a police commander said Monday.

Joaquim Nido, commander of the police forces in Sofala province, said no arrests were made because the armed men apparently learned the raid and fled the secret haven in Chibabava district in Sofala.

But government forces successfully destroyed the site, tearing down 53 makeshift huts, Nido said. The group of armed men who stayed there were suspected of attacking vehicles on one of the country's main roads on June 21, killing two civilians.

The attack was believed to have been launched after a senior Renamo official issued threats to destabilize the transport system over the frustration of political dialogues with the government.

The two sides have been engaging the 10th round of talks but yield no significant progress. Renamo, which fought a 16-year guerrilla war against the government until 1992, demands reforms to allow it fairly to wrestle with the ruling Frelimo party in polls.

But the Frelimo-led government denies the accusations.

Renamo has threatened to boycott this year's municipal elections and next year's general polls if the government does not change the electoral law.