SADC tasks security arm to safeguard regional trade routes in wake of Mozambique unrest - report
Mozambique Elections: Tense week of protests in Zambézia
6:52 CAT | 16 Dec 2024
FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: DW]
- Unknown individuals set fire to a police station in Mocuba district in the early hours of Friday morning, an incident police are linking the wave of demonstrations against “electoral fraud” in the country.
The latest phase of protests called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane ended last Wednesday (11-12), but more than a hundred people protested on Friday at the Samora Machel police station in Mocuba, Zambézia province.
The police were unable to control the crowd, according to the spokesman for the provincial command in Zambézia, Miguel Caetano, and the protesters set fire to the police station. “We are still assessing the damage to determine what was really damaged after this malicious action,” the spokesperson reported.
Four police officers killed
It was a week of great tension in the region. The most intense riots occurred in Luabo district on Wednesday. Four police officers were killed.
Caetano said that, by Friday, there was still no solid information about what happened in Luabo, because the police commander had been out of communication since Thursday.
“We are having difficulty communicating with the police officers stationed in that district. We believe it must be because of the [mobile communications ] network,” Caetano said.
DW contacted representatives in Zambézia of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), which supported Venâncio Mondlane’s presidential candidacy in the general elections on October 9, but was unable to obtain a reaction on the events of the last few days.
What will the Constitutional Council say?
In addition to Luabo district, there were also tumultuous protests in the far north of Zambézia province, in Nampevo, in Mocuba, and in the town of Ile.
In addition, Ile district prison was invaded by protesters and dozens of inmates escaped.
Everything now rests in the hands of the Constitutional Council, which has yet to rule on the allegations of fraud in the October 9 elections.
According to political analyst Lourindo Verde, there are only three ways to stop the protests in the country: “Annul the elections, order a recount or give the victory to whoever really won.”
Police authorities in Zambézia meanwhile warn that they are on maximum readiness to respond to any type of event in the coming days.
Source: Deutsche Welle
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