Over 2,000 Mozambican Families Flee To Malawi Amid Post-Election Violence
More than 2,000 Mozambican families sought refuge in Malawi last week as violent protests erupted over a disputed election on October 9, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Monitoring group Plataforma Decide reported that the death toll had reached 125 since the court’s decision and 252 since late October.
On Christmas Day, over 1,500 prisoners escaped from Maputo Central Prison, taking advantage of the national protests following the disputed polls.
According to Reuters, some businesses, including banks, were closed in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, on Friday, and patrols were set up in some areas.
A senior Malawian official said that as of Wednesday, 2,182 Mozambican households fleeing the violence had crossed into Malawi’s Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique.
In a letter to the country’s commissioner for refugees seen by Reuters, Nsanje district commissioner Dominic Mwandira described the situation as dire, with people urgently requiring humanitarian assistance.
Protests in Mozambique intensified after the Constitutional Council announced on December 23 that FRELIMO’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, secured approximately 65% of the vote, a decrease from the 70% reported by the electoral commission in October.
The Council also adjusted the number of parliamentary seats awarded to FRELIMO, though the reasons for these changes were not disclosed.
Mozambique’s main opposition leader, Venancio Mondlane, who the Constitutional Council said came second in the presidential election and who rejects the results, has called for more protests from his supporters but urged them not to loot or damage infrastructure.
More: Pindula News
