Mozambique urged to stop post-election violence

The ongoing civil unrest in Mozambique is the country’s worst crackdown on protests in years, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

The human rights organisation made the statement following reports that police in the southern African country have killed more than 20 protesters and injured or arrested hundreds more.

Security forces have routinely tried to violently break up peaceful assemblies with tear gas, bullets and arbitrary arrests, according to local media reports.

Ahead of a major opposition march planned for 7 November in Maputo following disputed elections, Mozambique’s Frelimo-led government must halt its violent and widespread crackdown on human rights and respect everyone’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, the organisation said.

Mozambique held general elections on 9 October 2024. Opposition members and independent observers alleged vote-rigging, prompting protests which police violently repressed during and after the vote counting process.

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On 19 October, two senior opposition figures, Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, were gunned down in Maputo. Two days later, police violently dispersed a press conference and protests led by Venancio Mondlane near the site of the killings.

“The last two weeks in Mozambique have been marked by completely unnecessary bloodshed as authorities have tried to stop a peaceful protest movement with deadly force. The number of casualties increases every day, with authorities deploying weapons of war, including rifles and armoured vehicles, on city streets.

“People cannot even protest in their own homes without risking tear gassing by police,” said Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

Several reports also suggest that government has repeatedly cut internet access across the country and blocked social media sites for nearly a week.

In addition, Farise stated that Mozambique’s government has the primary responsibility to respect and uphold human rights, adding that “neighboring countries and international organizations, including the Southern African Development Community [SADC] and the African Union, must forcefully speak out now to prevent further unlawful killings and other human rights violations”.

“This outrageous chapter in Mozambique’s history must end now, and perpetrators must be brought to justice. Mozambique’s government must pull back from the brink to avert further human rights violations,” said Farise.

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