Mozambique is braced for an escalation in protests over last month’s disputed election, with plans by the opposition to occupy the capital and the security forces on high alert.
Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, a fiery former lawmaker and pastor, has called on his supporters to take to the streets en masse Thursday to back his claim that he won last month’s presidential vote. The official results showed ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo was the victor.
Mondlane, who left the country last month in fear of his life, backtracked on a pledge to return home to lead the demonstration after being warned that it wouldn’t be safe for him to do so.
“There were thousands of messages from Mozambicans in Mozambique and in the diaspora begging me not to go to Maputo,” he said by text message from an undisclosed location. “There were letters, audios, videos, emails.”
The unrest has forced a terminal operator at Maputo’s port to suspend operations and battered investor confidence in the southeast African nation. The country’s $900 million of eurobonds due in 2031 fell 0.2% by 11:46 a.m. in Maputo on Thursday to 83.59 cents on the dollar. A close at that level would be the lowest since July 25.
The standoff has left gas-rich Mozambique confronting what may be its most perilous period since a 16-year civil war ended in 1992. At least 24 people have died in the protests that erupted after the Oct. 9 election. The nation’s defense chief warned earlier this week that there’s a plot to illegally seize power.
Mondlane has pledged that Thursday will mark a “day of the liberation of Mozambique” from the party that’s ruled since it gained independence from Portugal 49 years ago. Chapo has largely kept a low profile since the vote, while saying dialog has to be the basis for resolving conflicts.
Maputo’s upmarket Julius Nyerere Avenue, where various embassies and the presidency are situated, appeared almost completely deserted by mid-Thursday morning local time, while military armored vehicles and police patrolled the area, verified footage showed. Elsewhere in the city, police dispersed protesters with tear gas, local news site Zitamar reported.
Live footage broadcast on TV Sucesso, a local station, showed a large crowd moving down Eduardo Mondlane Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares into Maputo. Soldiers barricaded the road with armored vehicles as protesters shouted “people in power!”
With fears of growing violence, various embassies in Mozambique have urged restraint. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an immediate de-escalation and respect for people’s right to assemble peacefully.
Neighboring South Africa has closed its main land border and called for calm, while warning its citizens against travel to Mozambique.
Internet Curbs
The authorities in Maputo have repeatedly restricted internet access since the weekend. That’s made it more difficult for Mondlane to command his supporters via daily live streams that have attracted millions of viewers since he said he left the country on Oct. 21.
The qualified forestry engineer has sought support from millions of jobless youth in a country where the median age is about 17, and one in three young people are out of work or school.
Defense Minister Cristóvão Chume said on Tuesday the government is investigating potential excessive force by police who’ve used live ammunition to quell the protests. At least one police officer has died.
An influential group of Catholic bishops has called for dialog between political leaders. Mondlane has said he’s ready to negotiate — with conditions including the restoration of what he claims is the real election outcome.
Outgoing President Filipe Nyusi has said the Constitutional Council must first verify the final results, and that the disputing sides must build trust before dialog starts.
Mozambique’s top court gave the electoral commission until Thursday to clarify discrepancies in the number of people who voted in the three different elections last month — presidential, parliamentary and provincial assemblies.
The most likely resolution to the current political crisis will be a recount of votes in several districts, Eurasia Group said in a note this week.
Bloomberg
