Mozambique: Putting an end to “public disorder” is the watchword – government

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Mozambique: Putting an end to “public disorder” is the watchword – government

7:51 CAT | 13 Feb 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Integrity]

Mozambique’s Minister of the Interior Paulo Chachine on Thursday demanded that the Mozambican police put an end to “public disorder”, calling on people to distance themselves from “violent demonstrations”.

“The watchword is to put an end to public disorder. We cannot normalise the abnormal,” public broadcaster Rádio Moçambique quotes Paulo Chachine as saying.

The issue at stake is the climate of strong social unrest which has taken hold in recent months in Mozambique, with demonstrations and strikes called, at first, by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the election results of 9 October that gave victory to Daniel Chapo, supported by Frelimo. Currently, the protests, now on a small scale, have been taking place independently in different parts of the country and, in addition to contesting the election results, the people complain about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

According to the Minister of the Interior, the “violent demonstrations”, which include the vandalisation of infrastructure, are jeopardising “progress and political stability” in Mozambique.

“I would like to take this opportunity to condemn such violent acts (…) and I therefore urge all actors in society to distance themselves from them, as they are contrary to the country’s legal system,” the minister added Paulo Cachined.

Since October, at least 327 people have died, including around two dozen minors, and around 750 have been shot during the protests, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organisation that monitors the electoral processes.

Source: Lusa