Violence breaks out in Mozambique after election court ruling, 56 dead

By Matthew Hill and Borges Nhamire

 

At least 56 people were killed this week as violence spread across Mozambique following the validation of the ruling party’s victory in October’s disputed election.

Rioters looted shops and torched police stations in the gas-rich southeast African nation. Among the dead were two police officers, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda said in comments broadcast on state television late Tuesday, when he put the death toll at 21. 

 

A local monitoring group, Decide Platform, said the total rose to 186 since the unrest began Oct. 21. Most people died from bullet wounds, the group said. 

 

 

The Constitutional Council on Dec. 23 proclaimed the ruling party’s victory, extending its 49-year rule, saying irregularities in the electoral process weren’t significant enough to impact the outcome. That angered opposition supporters, triggering unprecedented unrest.

 

The violence has wracked the economy of one of the world’s poorest nations, disrupting trade and raising fears of further delays to a $20 billion natural gas export project that TotalEnergies SE is leading.

 

Maputo, the capital city, and neighboring Matola suffered a wave of looting and vandalism on Tuesday that was “almost incomprehensible,” the state-owned Agencia de Informacao de Mozambique reported Wednesday. “The situation is slipping into chaos,” the news agency said.

 

Venâncio Mondlane, the opposition presidential candidate orchestrating the protests against what he said were rigged elections, warned on Tuesday they wouldn’t stop. He’s open to international mediation, the fiery pastor and former lawmaker said in a live stream.

 

At least 10 offices of the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front were burned, Ronda said.

 

“The skies are covered in black smoke from burning tires and public and private infrastructure,” Maputo-based Center for Democracy and Human Rights said in a statement Wednesday. “The floor is covered in blood. The state is absent.”

 

The US called the electoral process “flawed,” while the European Union pointed to “irregularities during counting of votes and unjustified alteration of election results.” 

 

Mondlane fled the country on Oct. 21 and is in an undisclosed location. He got 24% of the vote, the Constitutional Council announced Monday, giving the ruling party candidate, Daniel Chapo, 64%. The top electoral court’s decision can’t be appealed.

 

“There is significant ongoing unrest across Mozambique,” the UK said in an advisory to travelers on Tuesday.

 

Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe president and chairman of the Southern African Development Community of which Mozambique is a member, called on parties to abide by the Constitutional Council’s decision. South Africa’s government called for urgent dialogue.  

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