By Jamal Jamal
LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - Protesters across Mozambique took to the streets Wednesday to begin three days of unofficial national mourning that was called by opposition leader Venancio Mondlane for the victims of deadly post-election violence.
Not a lot of demonstrators were seen in national capital of Maputo and elsewhere across the country as most protesters seemed to have stayed home on the first day of mourning.
Mondlane said the protests would take place across the country to “mourn the victims, demonstrators who took part in previous protests, those killed by police who were supposed to protect them.”
“We are decreeing national mourning for the martyrs who were killed from Oct. 31. During this period, we are appealing to the public to maintain the noisy night time protests of banging pots, but without marches.” he said on Facebook, asking for peaceful demonstrations.
Mondlane asked Mozambicans to wear “black and carry placards. We are not picking up any sticks, machetes or blunt objects. We are calling people to observe 15-minutes from 12 noon. This is the tribute we want to pay to those who died.”
President Filipe Nyusi, in a nationwide address Tuesday, invited all presidential candidates to a meeting to “find solutions to the current political impasse,” claiming that post-election violence has “created chaos and fear across the country.”
Violent protests have erupted in major cities and towns across the country since the National Election Commission announced results of the Oct. 9 election.
It declared ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) candidate Daniel Chapo the winner on Oct. 24 with 70% of the vote. Mondlane was second with 20%.
Mondlane called for week-long demonstration on Oct. 31 to dispute the “fraudulent” results.
Hundreds of people have been on the streets in response to the call for protests.
The protests have so far killed 33 people and injured scores, according to human rights organizations in Mozambique.
Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, two senior opposition figures, were killed Oct. 19 in Maputo. But the opposition claims that 50 people have been killed since Oct. 31.
Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda banned all protests Friday and asked Mozambicans to “co-operate with the authorities to stop the violence.”
Ronda described the protests as “acts of terrorism” and said the “government wasn’t going to let the protests continue destroying the country.”