A sense of calm has returned to Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, following a day of deadly violence that erupted during post-election protests, Bloomberg reports.
On Friday, public transport resumed operations and people returned to their daily routines, a stark contrast to the scene just 24 hours earlier.
Thursday witnessed a tense standoff between security forces and protestors, with billows of black smoke and tear gas filling the air. The protests, which followed the disputed October 9th elections, resulted in at least five deaths and 120 injuries, according to the Center for Democracy and Human Rights. The organization reported that protestors faced a heavy security presence, with trucks and soldiers blocking their advance toward the city center.
The unrest, the most significant since the end of Mozambique’s civil war in 1992, has had a profound impact on the country. The main border with South Africa has been closed, operations at Maputo port have been suspended, and the nation’s bonds have plummeted. Fear is mounting that a $20 billion natural-gas export project led by TotalEnergies SE could be further delayed due to the ongoing instability.
The government has condemned the protests as an attempt to incite a coup. Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, however, declared that the nation is undergoing a revolution and vowed that protests will continue until authorities acknowledge his victory in the elections. Official results show Mondlane securing 20% of the vote, while ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo received 71%. Mondlane has rejected these results as fraudulent, citing numerous irregularities, including ballot box stuffing and manipulated vote counts.
The party backing Mondlane has appealed the election results to the Constitutional Council, Mozambique’s highest court. However, the verification process could take several weeks, given that the court only verified the results of the 2019 elections on December 23.
