Mozambique’s opposition leader to temporarily halt protests

JOHANNESBURG

Mozambique’s opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane said Monday he is considering to call off protests for five days to allow entry of international organizations to investigate alleged human rights abuses by police, local media reported.

Mozambique has been gripped by weeks of violent protests since late October, when the electoral authority declared 47-year-old Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo the winner of the presidential elections with 71% of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane with 20%.

Mondlane, who claims to have won the election, called for protests. The Constitutional Council was then tasked with overseeing the case, and last week it affirmed that Chapo had won the vote but reduced his percentage to 65%. This caused fresh and more violent protests.

According to a report published by local news site Club of Mozambique, Mondlane will announce the next phase of new protests in the coming days.

Meanwhile, South Africa said in a statement it has increased security and patrol along its border with Mozambique to prevent and combat any opportunistic crime that may arise as a result of the neighboring country's ongoing protests.

“The government of South Africa is actively engaging the government of Mozambique at a bilateral level to explore these concerns and explore sustainable solutions,” South Africa’s National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) said on Sunday.

It said both nations are leveraging their strong diplomatic ties to ensure that appropriate measures are implemented to restore order and enhance security in affected regions.

“These engagements reflect a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that underpins the relationship between South Africa and Mozambique,” it said.

Last month, South Africa temporarily closed its busy border crossing with Mozambique due to the ongoing post-election violence in the neighboring country. Protesters torched vehicles on the Mozambican side of the Lebombo Port of entry.

On the weekend, local media reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa had sent Sydney Mufamadi as his special envoy to Mozambique to discuss escalating post-election violence that threatens regional stability.

At least 277 people have died since the protests started in the country, with most deaths caused by gunfire from security personnel, according to local elections monitoring group Plataforma DECIDE.

Last week, 33 people were killed when hundreds of inmates broke out of Maputo Central Prison in Matola, located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the capital. Police chief Bernardino Rafael confirmed that 1,534 prisoners had escaped, including 29 "highly dangerous" terrorists, raising serious security concerns.

The violence has forced people to flee the country to neighboring Malawi.

Minister of Information and Digitization Moses Kunkuyu said Monday that the ongoing protests have affected fuel imports to the landlocked Malawi.

About 3,000 refugees from Mozambique have crossed into Malawi since Monday last week, he added.

Dominic Mwandira, a senior official in Malawi's Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique, earlier told Anadolu: “They are coming as families, and we have, so far, sheltered them in schools waiting for proper arrangements. The number is likely to rise.”