JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday that at least 30 people have been killed in Mozambique in almost three weeks of crackdowns on protests over a disputed presidential election.
“At least 30 people were killed between October 19 and November 6 inclusive across the country,” HRW told AFP.
The toll did not include violence recorded on November 7 when police and soldiers dispersed thousands of demonstrators in the capital Maputo.
The southern African nation has been rocked by violence since the Frelimo party, which has been in power for almost 50 years, won an October 9 election with more than 70 percent of votes.
President Filipe Nyusi is expected to step down early next year at the end of his two-term limit, handing over to Daniel Chapo.
Leading opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane, backed by the Podemos party, came second in the presidential race, with 20 percent of the vote but said the results were false.
Using social media, Mondlane has rallied his supporters out onto the streets to demonstrate against the results, leading to clashes with police and soldiers.
On Thursday, in the biggest demonstration yet, several thousand people marched in Maputo, some throwing rocks and setting up barricades before being dispersed by security officers.
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The city’s largest hospital, Maputo Central Hospital, said Friday it had registered three deaths due to that protest alone. It also treated 66 people for injuries, four of whom were in a serious condition, spokesperson Dino Lopes told reporters.
A local NGO, the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), said it had recorded 34 people killed as of November 7. “What began as a call for electoral justice has transformed into a brutal display of state repression,” CDD said.
The security forces did not immediately confirm a death toll but were due to address reporters later Friday. AFP
