December 26, 2024
By Ayinde Adeleke
Mozambique’s post-election protests have taken a devastating turn, with the death toll rising to at least 150, according to Plataforma Decide, a civil society organization.
The violence erupted after the Constitutional Council confirmed Daniel Chapo, the candidate of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), as the winner of the presidential election with 65% of the votes.
The opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, who received 24% of the votes, rejected the result, claiming it was manipulated.
Mondlane, who has since fled Mozambique, had urged his supporters to demonstrate against what he termed a “rigged vote.”
In a social media post over the weekend, he warned of a potential “new popular uprising” if the result was not overturned.
The protests turned violent, with at least 121 people killed since Monday, Plataforma Decide reported.
The interior minister, Pascoal Ronda, confirmed that 21 people had been killed in acts of violence since Monday, with 25 wounded and 236 incidents of serious violence reported across the country.
Amnesty International has condemned the government’s response to the protests, calling for an end to the “bloody crackdown” on demonstrators. Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, said, “Enough is enough.
For more than 50 days, Mozambique’s Frelimo-led government has refused to end its bloody crackdown on protesters”
The situation has been further complicated by a prison break, in which over 1,500 prisoners escaped, taking advantage of the political unrest. Police Chief Bernardino Rafael reported that 33 inmates were killed and 15 injured in clashes with guards.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, Amnesty International has called on the international community to take action to end the violence. Farise urged, “The world must condemn this state violence and take action to end it”
