Barely 24 hours after the Constitutional Council certified the victory of ruling Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo in the October election, unrest returned to the streets. According to authorities, at least 21 people died, including two police officers.
Only 24 hours left until the Constitutional Council meeting mozambique will confirm your victory Daniel Chapo In the presidential elections, unrest They returned to the streets of Maputo, Beira and Nampula.
Mozambican Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda said at a press conference in Maputo on Tuesday: wave of violence and looting The incident was triggered after the court’s statement the day before. The wave of violence and looting was carried out mostly by young people supporters of defeated candidate Venâncio MondlaneHe came in second place, receiving 24 percent of the votes. Daniel Chapo, supported by Frelimo, received 65% of the votes.
“236 acts of violence were recorded across the country in the last 24 hours. 21 muerto“Two members of the Mozambique Republic Police also lost their lives,” Ronda said. According to the minister, 13 civilians and 12 police officers were also injured. Ronda said: 25 vehicles there was set on fireincluding two police vehicles. He also added that 11 police subunits and a prison were attacked and destroyed. 86 prisoners were released.
Opposition refuses to accept election results and human rights defenders condemn suppression of protests
las tensions He was released long before the decision announced by the country’s Constitutional Council on Monday. More than 150 people have died in protests since October 21According to Decide Electoral Platform, a Mozambican civil society group monitoring the elections. 34 of these people died between December 4 and 10, according to the group, and the protests show no signs of abating.
Amnesty InternationalThe international human rights group said the deaths were among a total of 357 people shot by security forces during the protests. More than 357 people Sido’s arbitrarily detainedAccording to Amnesty International.
Human rights groups criticized Mozambican authorities for what they described as a situation brutal oppression What started as peaceful protests against electionsOpposition parties claim fraudulent. International observers also pointed out irregularities in the voting.
las protests Sido’s summoned by presidential candidate Venâncio MondlaneThe Podemos party does not recognize the results first announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and now announced by the Constitutional Council. In addition to Venâncio Mondlane, Renamo leader Ossufo Momade and MDM’s Lutero Simango also announced that they did not recognize the election results.
21 deaths in the last 24 hours
The country, with a population of 34 million, has been experiencing tension since the parliamentary elections on October 9. Mostly Mondlane’s supporters hundreds of thousands of young peopleSince that day we took to the streets and shot by security forces.
21 more people have died since Monday, January 23. These deaths, which Mondlane’s party described as “political murders”, increased tension Since then, following the disputed presidential election Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the Frelimo partyThe one who ruled Mozambique for almost half a century.
Images circulating on various social networks show protesters setting fires and looting stores in the capital Maputo, Beira and Nampula. Many municipal employees escaped.
HE State Mozambique huh high level securitystrengthening existing tools. Meanwhile, Venâncio Mondlane called for a “strike” from Friday, but violence in the country has already intensified and the situation remained tense in the capital on Tuesday night after a day of violence and looting by protesters.
European Union ‘extremely concerned’ about violence
European Union (EU) He announced on Tuesday that he was extremely concerned about the post-election violence in Mozambique. The EU asks in an official statement: ““containment” to the parties and requests that they “refrain from any actions that could further escalate tensions.”
“We also ask responsibility and justice to solve cases human rights violations“says the EU sender Election Observation Mission (MOE) participated in the Mozambican elections with approximately 180 members. “irregularities” were detected.
According to the statement, “EU-EOM detected irregularities in the vote counting and Unfair alteration of election results. “The mission called on electoral bodies to ensure maximum transparency in the counting and tabulation process.”
