Protests kick off again in Mozambique – and so does police violence

Guillaume Maurice
·1-min read
Recent protests in Mozambique have devolved into violence, with security servicesbeating protesters. In some cases, protesters have carried out looting and broken into prisons to release the incarcerated.

Mozambicans took to the streets after the country’s top court ruled on December 23 to uphold the victory of ruling party Frelimo in the October election. This decision reignited the deadly cycle of protests and repression that began in late October and was met by a swift and brutal response from security services.

Protests have been ongoing in Mozambique since October 24 when Frelimo, the political party that has ruled the country since its independence in 1975, was declared victor of the elections that took place earlier that month. But the protests were met with deadly repression by the authorities: at least 125 people are thought to have been killed. According to the NGO Decide, 4,000 people have been arrested since October.

Mozambique’s Constitutional Council, which has the final say over the election process, confirmed Frelimo’s victory on December 23, sparking widespread anger among the population. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane called the election “stolen” and called for people to take to the streets. Soon, protests broke out across the country.

'No one believes what the commission says'

Walker Dias is the spokesperson for the NGO Decide, which monitors election transparency. He says that the Constitutional Commission isn’t impartial – it is heavily influenced by the ruling party.


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