At least 21 people, including two police officers, have been killed in violence in Mozambique after the country’s Supreme Court confirmed the victory of Daniel Chapo, the ruling Frelimo party’s presidential candidate, in disputed Oct. 9 elections, officials said on Tuesday.
Mozambican Interior Minister Pasquale Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that the court’s announcement a day earlier had sparked a wave of violence and looting.
He said he was led by mostly young supporters of the losing candidate, Venancio Mondlen, who received 24% of the vote, second only to Chapo, who received 65%.
“From the initial survey, in the last 24 hours, 236 acts of violence were recorded in the national territory with 21 deaths, including two members of the police of the Republic of Mozambique,” Ronda said. According to him, 13 civilians and 12 policemen were injured.
Ronda said that 25 vehicles, including two police vehicles, were set on fire. He added that 11 police subunits and a penitentiary were attacked and vandalized and 86 prisoners were released.
Tensions ran high in the country ahead of the Constitutional Council’s decision on Monday, with violent protests following the announcement.
Footage circulated on various social media platforms showed protesters burning and looting shops in the capital Maputo and the city of Beira, where some city officials were reported to have fled the city.
Mondlen called for a “shutdown” from Friday but violence has already escalated in the country and the situation in the capital remained tense on Tuesday night after protesters ransacked and ransacked throughout the day.
The country of 340 million people has been in the forefront since the general election on October 9. Mondlane’s supporters, mostly hundreds of thousands of young people, took to the streets, and were fired upon by security forces.
This brings the death toll from post-election violence to over 150 since the country’s electoral body announced preliminary results.
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