Amnesty urges probe of ‘reckless’ Mozambique crackdown on protests

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Amnesty urges probe of ‘reckless’ Mozambique crackdown on protests

8:29 CAT | 16 Apr 2025

File photo: Reuters

Mozambican police were involved in the killing of almost 400 people during three months of violent crackdown on opposition protests, Amnesty International said Wednesday, denouncing excessive force and a lack of accountability.

The gas-rich southern African nation descended into post-election turmoil following the disputed victory of President Daniel Chapo in October last year.

The vote, which several international observer missions said was tainted by irregularities, was followed by months of countrywide street clashes and blockades during which 388 people died, according to local civil society group Plataforma Decide.

Police and the army deployed “reckless and unnecessary” force against peaceful protesters, Amnesty International said in a report, detailing evidence from open-source data and interviews with more than two dozen people.

Security personnel, some in plain clothes, used AK-pattern rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets that they fired indiscriminately at crowds, including from moving vehicles, the rights agency said.

“Firearms are not a tactical tool for policing public assemblies,” it said in the 49-page report.

In one incident on December 12, police shot and killed a man livestreaming their actions on social media to more than 60,000 followers, in a town at the border with South Africa.

The 30-year-old was shot twice in the back after he defied orders to stop filming, Amnesty said, citing an eyewitness who spoke with the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Amnesty report.

The months-long demonstrations were called by opposition figure Venancio Mondlane, who came second in the elections, with 24 percent of the vote according to official results.

A former radio host popular with the youth, the 51-year-old politician had rallied enough support to hand the ruling Frelimo party its first real challenge in half a century. He claimed he won 53 percent of the vote and said the election had been stolen.

More than three thousand people were wounded in the clashes, the youngest only nine years old, according to Amnesty.

Tensions have since thawed in recent weeks following a surprise meeting last month between Chapo and Mondlane, who agreed to an end to violence.

The government should nonetheless bring to justice the security officers who committed abuse and violence, Amnesty said.

The attorney general should “ensure that all allegations of killing, bodily harm, arbitrary detention, torture or other cruel inhuman, or degrading treatment by law enforcement… are thoroughly and impartially investigated,” it said.

The report also called for investigations into the involvement of internet service providers in throttling access at the height of the protests.

Human Rights Watch on Monday said at least 10 key opposition party officials were killed between October 2024 and March 2025, most of whom were involved in organising protests.

“The failure of Mozambique’s police to credibly investigate the killings… sends a chilling message that the authorities have no interest in bringing those responsible to justice,” said HRW deputy Africa director Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, urging action from international partners.

Source: AFP