Police in Mozambique disperse opposition protest after disputed election

Riot constabulary successful Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, fired teardrop state to disperse a assemblage protesting against alleged electoral fraud days aft 2 absorption allies were changeable dead.

Several 100 people, including journalists, scattered arsenic heavy equipped constabulary marched down a main thoroughfare connected Monday. The Reuters quality bureau reported immoderate constabulary officers firing handguns portion dispersing the crowd.

Adriano Nuvunga, manager of Mozambique’s Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, said bullets deed 2 journalists and a information defender but not earnestly wounded.

Opposition person Venancio Mondlane, who ran for president successful the October 9 election, had called for a wide onslaught to contention aboriginal results showing the ruling Frelimo enactment ahead.

Shops successful Maputo were closed, and helicopters were hovering supra the metropolis of astir 1 cardinal people.

People clasp a poster and their nationalist emblem during a nationwide onslaught called by Mozambique statesmanlike campaigner Venancio Mondlane [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]

“Venancio”, arsenic helium is popularly known, was among those dispersed and helium aboriginal posted a video connected Facebook showing him moving distant from teardrop gas, surrounded by supporters. He told reporters that constabulary had tried to halt him from attending the demonstration.

“This greeting I couldn’t get retired of my house. I had radical astatine my doorstep, including the police. It took maine an hr to get out,” said the 50-year-old.

Tensions roseate implicit the play aft two Mondlane associates were changeable dormant successful Maputo.

Lawyer Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, a campaigner from the tiny Podemos enactment which backs Mondlane, were successful a car erstwhile they were surrounded by different vehicles and changeable dormant connected Saturday, witnesses said.

Podemos person Albino Forquilha confirmed the killings to AFP quality agency, portion constabulary stated that an probe had been launched but did not corroborate the identities of the 2 men.

‘Paralysed’ country

The European Union, African Union, and United Nations person condemned the incidental and called connected authorities to place the perpetrators.

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called connected “all Mozambicans, including governmental leaders and their supporters, to stay calm, workout restraint and cull each forms of violence.”

The caput of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said helium had “deep concern” implicit “reported cases of post-election unit and successful peculiar the caller killings”.

Last year, respective radical were killed successful clashes aft Frelimo, the enactment successful powerfulness since independency 49 years ago, won the municipal elections.

Official results from the statesmanlike and parliamentary elections are inactive pending.

Mozambique’s electoral committee has declined to remark connected accusations of fraud.

US-based observers said the canvass did not conscionable planetary standards for antiauthoritarian elections, noting reports of ballot buying, intimidation, inflated elector rolls and different issues.

Initial indications of a debased turnout successful the coastal state of immoderate 33 cardinal radical could erode the vote’s legitimacy.

President Filipe Nyusi, 65, is stepping down aft 2 terms, but his party’s candidate, 47-year-old Daniel Chapo, is wide expected to win.

Other statesmanlike candidates included Ossufo Momade, 63, of the main absorption enactment Renamo, and Lutero Simango, 64, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement.

Mondlane, who has already claimed victory, said his telephone for a wide protestation connected Monday was a “great success”.

“The state was paralysed … 95 percent of backstage and nationalist services crossed the state were paralysed,” helium wrote connected Facebook. He said the onslaught was followed successful the cities of Chimoio, Nampula, Beira, and Maputo, among others.