Police crackdown on protest against general election results in Mozambique, 1 injured

By Jamal Jamal

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) – One person was injured when police fired tear gas shells to disperse demonstrators in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, as the protest against the Oct. 9 general elections in the southern African country continued for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday.

Hundreds of pro-opposition supporters returned to the streets of Maputo in response to the independent presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane's call to protest the poll results, which began on Thursday last week.

Since the National Election Commission (CNE) announced official results on Oct. 24, declaring the ruling party's Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) candidate Daniel Chapo the winner with 70% of the votes cast and Mondlane second with 20%, violent protests have erupted in major cities and towns across the country.

On Thursday morning, hundreds of people gathered in the capital city to protest the alleged rigged election results, and police fired tear gas shells in an attempt to disperse them, said Adriano Nuvunga, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights.

One person has received injuries, Nuvunga told Anadolu over the phone.

Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, has described the situation in the country as "outrageous, concerning, and regrettable."

"We are very concerned over the situation in the country. We are calling on both the government and the opposition to protect people's lives and respect their human rights," Khanyo told the media on Thursday.

According to human rights organizations, this is the "worst crackdown" on protests in years, with post-election violence claiming 24 lives and injuring scores more. On Oct. 19, Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, two senior opposition figures, were killed in Maputo.

The government has repeatedly shut down internet services and blocked social media sites.

On Wednesday, medical professionals staged a protest march “pleading” with politicians on both sides of the divide to end the post-election violence.

Video footage posted on social media showed people looting shops in central Maputo, as tires burned on the streets and black smoke rose in the air.

Several people have been arrested after some protesters broke into two shops at a shopping center on Avenida Acordos de Lusaka in central Maputo, according to the Club of Mozambique news website.

The website also reports a heavy presence of police and military on the streets of the capital city and its suburban neighborhoods.

Earlier on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch appealed to Mozambican authorities to lift internet restrictions imposed since October 25 and restore full access to social media platforms.

The rights group said internet restrictions and shutdowns violate multiple rights, including access to information, freedom of speech, peaceful protest, and people’s ability to earn a living through online business.

According to local media reports on Wednesday, Mozambique's Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Amilton Alissone said normal internet service will only be resumed once the necessary conditions are met, without providing specifics about such "conditions."

*Hassan Isilow contributed to this story from Johannesburg.