NEWS- Thousands of people in Mozambique have fled the ongoing violence to neighboring Malawi after months of unrest over disputed presidential election results.
A senior Government official in Malawi’s Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique, Dominic Mwandira, has revealed that some 2,000 households have entered the territory since Monday and the number is expected to increase in the next few days.
“They are coming as families and we have, so far, sheltered them in schools waiting for proper arrangements. The number is likely to rise,” Mwandira told journalists.
This comes after violent protests rocked Mozambique Capital City Maputo since presidential elections were held on October 9th 2024 resulting in the death of 248 people, including 33 who were trying to escape from the main prison on Christmas Day.
According to Plataforma Decide, an election monitoring group, more than 1,500 inmates fled Maputo Central Prison in Matola, located about 15 kilometers from the capital Maputo, and the Police has since reported the casualties.
Protests started in late October after Daniel Chapo of the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) was declared the winner of the presidential polls, defeating main opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who immediately rejected the results and fled in exile claiming widespread vote rigging and called on his supporters to protest and has since vowed to install himself as president on January 15th 2025.
The months-long protests and recent attacks on gas stations by protesters have resulted in fuel shortages in Mozambique’s capital city Maputo and the city of Matola.
Meanwhile the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in Mozambique following the country’s 9th October 2024 General Elections.
This follows more unrest which intensified after the Constitutional Council announced the final election results, resulting in the loss of numerous lives and widespread destruction of property.
The African Union Chairperson has since issued a statement extending condolences to the bereaved families and called for calm and also urged security forces to exercise restraint while maintaining law and order and emphasized the need to avoid further bloodshed.
Chairman Mahamat appealed to the Mozambican Government, political actors, and civil society to prioritize peaceful dialogue and seek a resolution to the crisis.
“The Chairperson encourages all national political and social actors to seek a peaceful solution to resolving the current crisis to avoid further loss of life and destruction of property,” the statement read.
The African Union also reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with the Mozambican Government, national stakeholders, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to restore peace and safeguard constitutional democracy.
Mozambique is not the only African nation to have held elections in recent months, with several other countries also experiencing post-election challenges and Zimbabwe held elections in August 2024 where the incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner amidst allegations of vote-rigging and criticism from opposition parties, protests erupted in major cities, but the situation has since stabilized.
Liberians went to the elections in October 2024. While the elections were largely peaceful, delays in vote counting led to tensions as the country’s National Elections Commission (NEC) faced criticism for inefficiency, but key political actors have pledged to respect the final outcome.
The African Union has been actively involved in monitoring elections across the continent, encouraging adherence to democratic principles and addressing challenges that arise and Chairperson Mahamat reiterated the AU’s commitment to supporting African nations in achieving peaceful transitions of power.
As Mozambique grapples with post-election violence, the African Union is calling for calm and dialogue underscores the importance of regional cooperation and the need for democratic processes to uphold stability across the continent.
Additional Reporting by Associated Press.
