Mozambique Elections: Police fire tear gas at opposition protest in Maputo

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Mozambique Elections: Police fire tear gas at opposition protest in Maputo

8:33 CAT | 17 Oct 2023

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Mozambican police officers fired several rounds of tear gas in the centre of Maputo on Tuesday during a demonstration in which the opposition Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) was contesting the election results, with the party’s president in attendance.

Several hundred people marched through the streets of the capital this morning on the first day of national demonstrations scheduled by Renamo to contest what it says was “mega-fraud” in the local elections on 11 October, with the release of mid-term results giving victory to the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power) in 64 of the 65 municipalities.

After the rally in Praça dos Combatentes, which began at 10:00 local time (09:00 in Lisbon), activists and people followed the president of Renamo and the party’s candidate for Maputo municipality, who since Thursday had been claiming victory in that municipality, which in the meantime had been awarded to Frelimo by the electoral bodies.

At around 13:00 local time (12:00 in Lisbon), after an uneventful journey with the police, the Renamo caravan’s intention to enter an artery sealed off by the police, close to the square of the Mozambican Women’s Organisation [Praça da OMM], ended with several police officers firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, although no injuries were reported, according to Lusa at the scene.

At the time of the police intervention, Renamo leader Ossufo Momade and the party’s candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, were forced to take refuge inside the car they were travelling in.

This is historic in Maputo: protesters face the military tank used by the Police. Viva o povo! ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/Q69drZacvk

— Prof. Dr. Adriano Nuvunga (@adriano_nuvunga) October 17, 2023

Police firing tear gas against peaceful demonstration. Happening now in Maputo. pic.twitter.com/GjEW5zqOJv

— Prof. Dr. Adriano Nuvunga (@adriano_nuvunga) October 17, 2023