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Mozambique Elections: Araújo lashes out at international community’s silence, lambasts know-it-alls on tv – Watch
5:34 CAT | 17 Oct 2023
Screen grab: Renamo - Quelimane on Facebook
Renamo’s leader in Quelimane, Manuel de Araújo, has again spoken about the results of the local elections announced by the District Elections Commission, which give Frelimo an advantage. De Araújo began by criticising the international community, which, in his opinion, is culpably silent on issues linked to the municipal electoral process of the 11th of October.
“It was force of arms that forced Frelimo to give in and accept democracy. But now that they have the money that comes from gas, they think they no longer need the international community, so they push it. And as they know that the international community is looking for our gas, they blackmail. This week, the prime minister of Italy was here in Maputo on a one-day visit in search of our gas. That’s why the international community doesn’t open its mouth, closes its eyes to Frelimo’s atrocities, because they sell our gas, they sell it at a discount, and in return they sell our dignity and our rights. It is necessary to denounce these facts, we will work in several parliaments, so that the deputies of these parliaments raise questions to their governments, question the cooperation policy and monitor the situation of human rights and democracy in Mozambique,” Manuel de Araujo said.
De Araújo harshly criticized television commentators, who, in his opinion, speak on national television without ownership of the reality of Quelimane. “I saw some know-it-alls on Stv saying that Araújo shouldn’t involve the international community. These are the people I call ‘know it all, air-conditioned room commentators’. I invite them to come to Quelimane to feel the smell, the strength of the people here. If they don’t have money, we will buy a ticket for them to come here. Why didn’t they come as commentators if they wanted to comment on Quelimane, come here to speak with authority knowing what is happening there?” Manuel de Araújo asks.
“When they beat us, were they here? When they took away the ballot boxes and the editais, were they here?” he pressed, calling on commentators to reflect and speak with those who suffered the intense sun walking through the streets of Quelimane to defend democracy.
The Quelimane leader says he recognizes freedom of the press, opinion, demonstration and other freedoms, and draws attention to responsibility and empathy with the suffering of the people.
De Araújo says that the demonstrations will not stop until what he calls ‘material truth’ is restored. This Monday, the march was held with all participants dressed in white. According to the leader, the white outfit was intended to send a message to the world that the residents of Quelimane are not for violence but for peace. “We are in white to warn the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, the Rapid Intervention Units, the Frelimo government, diplomats and the international community that we are democrats who love peace and defending human rights. Count on us as partners in peace until the day we strike, then I won’t take responsibility,” he cautioned.
Manuel de Araújo says that, after opening the diplomatic front, where telephone contacts are being made with all ambassadors accredited in Mozambique, from Thursday onwards, a third phase will kick in.
“The third phase will be personal meetings with the ambassadors in Maputo. When we finish the diplomatic work in Maputo next week, we will escalate to another level. We want to take this matter to Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union, so that the Europeans who finance Frelimo know what they are doing here. We will reach out to other European capitals with this issue.”
On the same occasion, Renamo’s district political delegate, Latifo Xarifo, presented the editais – spreadsheets of the electoral results – for October 11th, set by the Quelimane District Elections Commission. In the document, Xarifo explained that his party found that the District Commission failed in the process of calculating the posted numbers.
“We are realising, through this document, that the older people don’t know how to do the maths, because, when we add up the Frelimo column, the total sum gives 30,000 votes in favour of that party, and not 38,000 as it is here. Theychanged the ‘0’ to ‘8’, they increased the vote by 8,000 here and we don’t know where they got them from,” Xarifo detailed.
Source: O País / Renamo - Quelimane on Facebook
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