‘Bloody crackdown’ on Mozambique protests has killed 110: Amnesty

Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Mozambique to “end its bloody crackdown on protesters”, saying 110 have been killed in demonstrations sparked by disputed presidential elections in October.

Unrest has rocked the southern African nation since the October 9 polls, won by the ruling Frelimo party in power since 1975, but denounced as fraudulent by opposition parties.

“Enough is enough. For more than 50 days, Mozambique’s Frelimo-led government has refused to end its bloody crackdown on protesters,” Khanyo Farise, Amnesty’s Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, said in a statement.

More than 30 people were killed in less than a week between last Wednesday and Monday, according to the local organisation Plataforma Decide, cited by Amnesty, which found that a total of 110 people had died in the clashes.

“The authorities’ flagrant, continued and escalating use of unnecessary and unlawful force against protesters must cease immediately,” Farise said.

The Constitutional Council is due to confirm the results at least two weeks ahead of the January inauguration of Daniel Chapo, 47, Frelimo’s candidate succeeding the outgoing President Filipe Nyusi.

The electoral commission reported that Chapo received nearly 71 percent of the vote, while Venancio Mondlane, 50, leader of the small Podemos party, came second with 20 percent.

But Mondlane contends a separate count found he received 53 percent of the vote, with Chapo only taking 36 percent.

‘Impasse’

Mondlane on Tuesday called on his supporters to block the southern African country’s mines, in a video address recorded abroad.

Neighbouring South Africa’s interior minister Leon Schreiber urged calm during a visit Wednesday to the border crossing of Lebombo, which has been heavily targeted by Mozambican protesters.

“What we want is for a resolution to the impasse because we know it’s impacting on trade, we know it’s impacting on travel, and no one wants that situation,” he said.

Incumbent President Nyusi on Wednesday met with an advisory institution, the State Council, demanding “deep reforms”.

He called for “defence and security forces to prepare for the challenges facing the country”, and asked them to “improve their ability to interact with the population” by “using force only in cases of extreme necessity”, he said in a statement.

In a gesture towards the opposition, he said a “comprehensive revision of electoral law” would take place “in due time”, including the “adoption of measures aimed at promoting transparency and credibility of the electoral processes”.