Deadly post-election violence in Mozambique has added another layer to the crises confronting southern Africa in a year the region has also seen of one of the worst droughts on record.
Mozambique descended into chaos following a disputed election on October 9 with civil society accusing police of killing 20 people and injuring hundreds more during demos that are spreading across the country.
The protests intensified after the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo) presidential candidate Daniel Chapo was declared winner of the polls amid allegations of rigging.
On October 19, two senior opposition figures, Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, were gunned down in central Maputo and this triggered a wave of more protests that security forces have been battling to contain.
Venancio Mondlane, an independent presidential candidate sponsored by the main opposition and was the runner-up in the polls, fled the country saying his life was in danger.
Southern African Development Community (Sadc) leaders are now scrambling for solutions to the new crisis that is already having ripple effects on regional economies that rely on Mozambican ports for cargo movement.
Sadc leaders will convene an extra-ordinary summit in Zimbabwe between November 16 and 20 where Mozambique would be top on the agenda.
Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights in Mozambique, said the situation had reached humanitarian crisis levels warranting the intervention of the region and international community.“So far, 20 people have been killed, more than 300 injured and about 800 have been arbitrarily detained,” Professor Nuvunga wrote for South Africa’s Daily Maverick.“These numbers depict a humanitarian crisis, a scene of State-sanctioned brutality that surpasses all acceptable limits. In regions like Nampula and Niassa, reports of police violence have reached terrifying levels, resembling scenes of massacre.”South Africa, which was forced to close its main port of entry with Mozambique this week due to the violence, said it welcomed Sadc’s intervention and urged its citizens to minimise travel to the neighbouring country.“Given the current security situation in Mozambique, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation encourages all South Africans to postpone non-essential visits to (Mozambique) until further notice,” said South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola in a statement.
Countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo get most of their fuel through the Mozambican ports. The landlocked countries also use Maputo and Beira ports to move their exports and essential imports.
Prior to the post-election violence, Sadc troops had been battling to bring peace to Mozambique’s northern part of Cabo Delgado since 2021 where Islamic militants are fighting the government.
As if that was not enough, Mozambique and Zimbabwe are the epicentre of a hunger crisis that is gripping the region due to the El Nino-induced drought.
Close to 68 million people or 17 percent of the region’s population are suffering from the effects of the drought with the majority of them needing food aid until the next harvest season in 2025.
The Sadc countries are also grappling with intensifying power cuts and water shortages as a result of the drought.
Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for east and southern Africa, said Sadc and the African Union can no longer afford to remain silent about the political crisis unfolding in Mozambique, which she described as “the worst in years.”“This outrageous chapter in Mozambique’s history must end now, and perpetrators must be brought to justice,” Ms Farise said.“Mozambique’s government must pull back from the brink to avert further human rights violations.“The last two weeks in Mozambique have been marked by completely unnecessary bloodshed as authorities have tried to stop a peaceful protest movement with deadly force.”African Defenders, a network of human rights crusaders from the continent, said South Africa must use its influence in the region to push for an end to the Mozambican crisis.“South Africa’s government, together with other Sadc members must urge Mozambique to respect human rights, restore internet access and end the violent suppression of protests,” the network said.“The call for action is necessary not only to protect Mozambican citizens, but also to prevent further destabilisation across southern Africa.”Sadc’s observer mission’s preliminary report appeared to give Mozambique’s electoral processes the thumbs up, which triggered withering criticism from the opposition and the media.
There were also questions about the credibility of the mission’s head and former Zanzibar president Amani Abeid Karume. Mr Karume’s tenure in Zanzibar was marred by allegations of election fraud and violence.
Sadc executive secretary Elias Magosi said the bloc “does not have a carrot-and-stick approach” when dealing with member States that fail to stick to its guidelines and principles for free and fair elections.
Frelimo has been in power in Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Sadc also faced criticism after it endorsed Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections despite concerns raised by its observer missions that the polls did not meet the regional body’s standards.
Prof Nuvunga, who is also chairperson of the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network and leads the Mozambique Human Rights Defenders Network, said the Mozambique protests began as a demand for electoral justice and evolved into something deeper.“This movement is a cry against the erosion of life’s basic dignity, the plague of corruption and the growth of criminal networks that have turned Mozambique into a drug-trafficking crossroads, enriching an elite tied to the party,” he said.“These protesters – young, determined and undeterred – are asking for the right to build a life with opportunity, to find work and to imagine a future.“They are standing against the exploitation of Mozambique’s natural wealth, which benefits a small privileged circle while leaving the majority in poverty.”Meanwhile, there are growing calls for Mozambican authorities to end internet restrictions that began on October 25 when the elections were announced.
Human Rights Watch said the internet shutdowns that came amid the violent crackdown on protestors violated multiple rights that included access to information, freedom of speech and peaceful protests.
Mozambique's Transportation deputy minister Almilton Alissone told the media early this week that internet services would be restored “only when the necessary conditions are in place.”“The Mozambique government’s arbitrary restrictions on internet access violate human rights and should be lifted immediately,’ said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.“The shutdown inhibits people’s ability to receive and use life-saving information to assemble peacefully and to express their political opinions in a time of crisis.”Mozambique has a long history of disputed elections and armed conflict dating back to the late 1970s.
© Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Kitsepile Nyathi
