Following Mozambique’s presidential election chaos, police fatally shot at least 10 people and injured dozens more during a crackdown on unrest. The African nation is preparing for further protests against an election that has been denounced as fraudulent by opposition parties and questioned by international observers.
Daniel Chapo, from the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, was declared the winner of the October 24 election, extending the Frelimo party’s 49-year reign since Portugal granted independence in 1975. Chapo is set to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving the constitutionally allowed two terms.
Frelimo has frequently been accused of election rigging, and Mozambique’s security forces have previously been criticised for suppressing protests with deadly force. Opposition parties alleged fraud on election day, while a subsequent report from the European Union observers noted irregularities in vote counting and alterations in some results.
Tensions escalated in the southern African country before and after the vote, particularly when two senior officials from an opposition party were killed in their car in Maputo, the capital, on October 18 after being ambushed by unidentified gunmen late at night. The opposition claims that the attackers fired 25 bullets at the car.
The spate of killings in Mozambique has been interpreted by many as politically charged acts. A notable casualty was a legal advisor to Venancio Mondlane, the principal opposition contender for the presidency who finished runner-up in the recent polls.
During the period of October 18-26, amidst demonstrations, ten individuals succumbed to bullet wounds while another 63 sustained injuries from gunfire, according to a joint communique from the Medical Association of Mozambique and the Mozambique Order of Doctors.
Gilberto Manhica, who leads the Order of Doctors, expressed to local reporters that “In most of the shootings, especially those that resulted in death, the intention of the police was to shoot to kill,”.
Human Rights Watch, in its own dispatch, reported a higher fatality count of 11 and noted that over 50 individuals were seriously injured by gunshots during the protests, urging an inquiry into what it deems as the “apparently excessive use of force”.
Amnesty International has also weighed in, reporting that on October 16, law enforcement opened fire at a nonviolent opposition gathering in Nampula, wounding at least one individual, and “repeatedly attacked” demonstrators in the aftermath of the elections.
Protestors resorted to setting tyres ablaze and obstructing thoroughfares in several urban areas, with the authorities describing some segments of the unrest as violent episodes necessitating suppression.
Police spokesperson Orlando Mudumane, speaking to state broadcaster Radio Mozambique, described the current situation as “relatively calm and controlled”.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Mr Mondlane has issued a call for a fresh week of protests starting Thursday.
