At least five people have been killed and three others seriously injured in protests that have spread across Mozambique, including in Maputo, Nampula, and Zambezia, according to police reports.
Clashes erupted between protesters, armed with stones, knives, and machetes, and security forces.
The protests were reportedly organized by Venancio Mondlane, a defeated presidential candidate, who claimed the October 9 election results were fraudulent and declared himself the rightful winner.
Mondlane, currently in South Africa seeking refuge, called for a nationwide protest from December 4 to 11, urging demonstrators to block roads, railways, ports, and airports to “restore the truth about the elections.”
In response to the unrest, outgoing President Filipe Nyusi warned that the protests could disrupt crucial public sector salary payments, particularly for teachers and nurses, exacerbating the financial strain in Mozambique due to the lack of external financial support.
In Matola, protests intensified after a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot by a plainclothes police officer. Residents blocked access to the Beleluane Industrial Park, home to Mozal, a major aluminum exporter, forcing the company to halt truck operations temporarily.
