The Mozambican Defence and Security Forces on Saturday accused ‘some civil society organisations and people of bad faith’, including foreigners, of financing the wave of demonstrations to create ‘widespread chaos’ in the country.
‘These violent demonstrations called by presidential candidate Venâncio António Bila Mondlane and the Podemos party have been supported and financed by some Civil Society Organisations and individuals in bad faith, including nationals and foreigners, with the aim of creating widespread chaos and subverting the established constitutional order,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
At issue is a wave of demonstrations in Mozambique, with around 70 people killed and more than 200 shot dead in a month as a result of clashes with the police, protests that have been called by Venâncio Mondlane, the presidential candidate who is contesting the victory of Daniel Chapo in the presidential elections, with 70.67 per cent of the votes, and, in the legislative elections, of the Frelimo party, which strengthened its absolute majority, according to the results announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).
Mozambique’s Interior Ministry accuses the ‘moral authors’ of the demonstrations of using the right to demonstrate to ‘subvert the established constitutional order’.
‘The Defence and Security Forces recognise the right to demonstrate and other fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic, but reiterates that in order to exercise the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, it is the duty of all citizens, organisations and political parties to strictly and rigorously observe the law, civility, urbanity and respect for national symbols and calls for non-adherence to violent demonstrations and other actions that constitute aviolation of the law and disturbance of public order,‘ reads the Defence and Security Forces’ document.
The Mozambican authorities also call on foreigners living in the country to refrain from ‘any intervention or participation in acts that constitute a violation of the law and interference in the internal affairs of the Mozambican state’.
Between Wednesday and Friday alone, when the country was at a standstill due to new protests, at least three people died and another five were injured as a result of gunfire in Mozambique, according to the Mozambican non-governmental organisation (NGO) Plataforma Eleitoral Decide.
Lusa
