Mozambique election unrest leaves at least 67 dead, group says

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Mozambique election unrest leaves at least 67 dead, group says

10:32 CAT | 21 Nov 2024

Mozambique’s post-election unrest has left at least 67 people dead over the past month, according to a local monitoring group that’s been tracking the violence.

The number far exceeds the 19 deaths that President Filipe Nyusi has disclosed. Plataforma Decide — the Portuguese name by which the group is known — has maintained a database detailing fatalities, injuries and detainees, its coordinator Wilker Dias said on Wednesday.

Demonstrations called by opposition candidate Venâncio Mondlane following the Oct. 9 vote turned deadly when police used live ammunition alongside tear gas to disperse crowds in Maputo, the capital, and other cities. Protesters have blocked roads, including the main border crossing with neighbouring South Africa, while attacking police stations and ruling party offices.

While the electoral authorities gave Mozambique’s ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo almost 71% of the vote, Mondlane rejected the outcome as fraudulent. Violent protests that spread through the country risk prolonging delays to a $20 billion natural gas export project led by TotalEnergies SE, while further straining state finances.

Nyusi on Tuesday called for a meeting between the four presidential candidates who took part in the election. He acknowledged some irregularities in the ballot, and said aggrieved parties should follow legal routes and await the final verification from the Constitutional Council.

Nyusi has criticized the demonstrations, in which he said five police officers had died.

Mondlane fled the country last month and the attorney general has since indicted him on allegations of conspiracy to commit a crime against the security of the state. It’s unclear if he’d face arrest on returning to Mozambique.

The evangelical pastor and former lawmaker didn’t respond to a request for comment on the indictment. He urged supporters at the weekend to pause street demonstrations while awaiting the outcome of a Southern African Development Community summit to discuss Mozambique.

Multiple observers, including from the European Union, have raised concerns about the vote, citing results manipulation and ballot-box stuffing. The Mozambique National Resistance, traditionally the biggest opposition party, this week called for the elections to be annulled.

In a Nov. 15 statement, the EU urged all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint, avoid the use of excessive force, refrain from vandalism, and abstain from inflammatory rhetoric.” It also called on the Constitutional Council to “uphold full transparency in the electoral process and ensure the integrity of the results.”

Source: Bloomberg