Mozambique Elections: Police fire tear gas at Maputo protestors – AIM

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Mozambique Elections: Police fire tear gas at Maputo protestors – AIM

6:25 CAT | 21 Oct 2024

Photo: Luisa Nhantumbo/Lusa

Heavily armed units of the Mozambican police on Monday morning fired tear gas in central Maputo to disperse protesters who had intended to march to honour two opposition activists who were murdered on Friday night.

The victims were Elvino Dias, the lawyer for independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, the election agent for the Podemos party, which had supported Mondlane’s presidential bid.

Mondlane had already called for a “national general strike” against election results he regarded as fraudulent. After the murders of Dias and Guambe, he called, in addition, for a peaceful march through the streets of Maputo, to repudiate the killings.

The march was to set off at 10.00 from the spot on Joaquim Chissano Avenue where Dias and Guambe had been gunned down. By that time, only a couple of hundred people had shown up, but that was quite enough for the police to launch salvoes of tear gas.

The police had mobilized armoured cars, dog units and even a helicopter – all for a few hundred unarmed protestors.

At 10.04 (according to the clock on the news service of the independent television station STV), the police began firing their tear gas grenades. Within a few minutes, the demonstrators had scattered – when they tried to regroup down side streets, the police fired more tear gas at them.

Mondlane was not present when this clash began. He arrived at 10.50 and told reporters that he had been “blockaded” in his house, and so had been unable to reach Joaquim Chissano Avenue at 10.00.

Mondlane claimed that the strike had been a great success, with “95 per cent” of activities shut down. He said the other five per cent were “essential services”.

“The true terrorists are in the leadership of the defence and security forces, who understand nothing about fundamental constitutional rights”, Mondlane accused.

Mondlane never finished speaking at this press conference, since it was interrupted by police bullets. There are reports that one person, a camera operator, was injured in this clash.

As for the effects of the strike claimed by Mondlane, the centre of Maputo was certainly quiet on Monday morning, with little movement of traffic on the streets. Many institutions had shut down in advance, fearing that the strike call might lead to violence. Private schools, for example, sent out notices on Friday, telling their pupils to stay away on Monday.

In the other major cities, the streets were largely quiet. According to STV, a group of youths set fire to tyres in the central city of Beira, but the police soon cleared away this improvised barricade.

Source: AIM