Death toll in Mozambique post-election violence rises to 103

By Jamal Jamal

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - At least 103 people have been killed while 350 others injured since post-election violence broke out in Mozambique on Oct. 21, following disputed results of the presidential elections, an election monitoring group said Monday.

Wilker Dias, Executive Director of Civil Society Platform for Election Monitoring (DECIDE) told reporters in the capital Maputo that the country has recorded more deaths in major provinces of Gaza, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado.

“In these places, there have been deadly clashes between armed police and protesters who have been at loggerheads. These clashes have resulted in a number of people dying and getting injured. The situation is very saddening and worrisome,” Dias said.

“Unless there are continued interventions of foreign institutions, there are no signs that things would get better anytime soon in this country. More people are likely to die,” he said.

On Oct. 9, about 17 million Mozambicans went to polls to elect provincial governors, president, and members of parliament.

Demonstrations began on October 24 when the country's electoral authority declared ruling party Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) candidate Daniel Chapo the winner with 70% of the votes cast, while Mondlane came in second with 20%, prompting him to challenge the vote and call for protests.

Last week, Momdlane called for another phase of weeklong protests to “shut down Maputo and other neighborhoods.” So far, according to Dias, 27 people have been killed, bringing the death toll to 103 since Oct. 21 and about 10 of them are children, said Human Rights Watch.

According to human rights organizations, this is the “worst crackdown” on protests in so many years.

According to Adriano Nuvunga, executive director for the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Mozambique, since the protests broke out authorities in the country have been using force to clamp down on the protesters leading to the arrests of hundreds of citizens across the country.

All attempts from both local and international organizations to end the escalating violence have proved futile. About two weeks ago, President Filipe Nyusi invited all four presidential candidates who took part in the elections to a meeting “to cobble long-lasting solutions” to the impasse, but Mondlane, who fled the country for “safety concerns” declined to attend.