At least 30 dead since the start of electoral protests in Mozambique

Photo: Alfredo Zuniga Agence France-Presse Thousands of supporters responded to the call of the main opponent Venancio Mondlane, who claims electoral victory at the expense of the party in power for nearly half a century in Mozambique.

Agence France-Presse in Maputo

Published at 18:01

• Africa

At least 30 people have been killed in Mozambique since protests began denouncing fraud in the October 9 elections, which were officially won by the ruling party, according to a tally by the NGO Human Rights Watch sent to AFP on Friday.

“At least 30 people were killed between October 19 and November 6 inclusive across the country,” a HRW spokesperson told AFP. This toll does not include Thursday, when a large march in Maputo was dispersed by the police and army.

Maputo's only central hospital “recorded three deaths related to the protests” on Thursday, its spokesperson Dino Lopes announced at a press conference on Friday.

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The latter did not specify whether they were protesters or the origin of the fatal injuries. This toll does not take into account deaths reported in other hospitals in the capital.

In the aftermath, the scene was visited by outgoing President Filipe Nyusi, who came to “show [his] solidarity” by greeting “young people injured who were involved in the demonstrations” as well as “a seriously injured police officer”.

“I took advantage of the moment to ask that there be no violent demonstrations. There is plenty of room for dialogue. If we don't talk, that's the problem,” he told the press. “I encourage society to ensure that everything ends without drama. »

According to the Mozambican NGO Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), five people “were killed by police bullets” in Maputo on Thursday.

Thousands of supporters responded to the call of the main opponent Venancio Mondlane, who claims electoral victory at the expense of the party in power for almost half a century in this southern African country.

Three members of the Podemos party, to which Venancio Mondlane is attached, are also “missing”, according to the president of this political party, Albino Forquilha. Having set off from Zambezi province to take part in the march in Maputo, “they were accosted and have since disappeared,” he said at a press conference on Friday.

Frelimo, which has ruled the country since independence from Portugal in 1975, was credited with more than 70% of the vote in the general election, the “most fraudulent since 1999” according to the anti-corruption NGO Public Integrity Center (CIP).

The European Union observation mission reported irregularities before, during and after the vote, including “unjustified alterations of results.”

Since the assassination of two opposition figures in an ambush on the streets of the capital on October 19, Venancio Mondlane has left the country and is now outside the African continent, he told AFP, fearing for his safety.