At least 30 die in Mozambique election protests says rights group
Mozambique's opposition has promised to continue protests over contested election results that extended the ruling Frelimo party's near five-decade rule. At least 30 people have died since protests broke out last month, an international rights group has said.
Mozambique has been rocked by violence for the last three weeks since the ruling Frelimo party was announced winner of the 9 October elections with more than 70 percent of votes.
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who won 20 percent of the vote, claims the election was rigged, allowing Frelimo to extend its almost half-century in power.
On Friday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said at least 30 people have been killed in Mozambique during the crackdowns by security forces, including two opposition figures shot dead on 19 October.
Mozambique's Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) tallied at least 34.
"What began as a call for electoral justice has transformed into a brutal display of state repression, with the number of confirmed deaths now at 34," it said in a post on X.
Some protestors had set fires and barricaded roads.
The streets of the capital were littered with burnt vehicles on Friday and stone barricades were still in place in some areas, but markets and stores had reopened.
At a press conference on Thursday, military spokesperson General Omar Saranga said the army would support police in quelling the unrest.
(with newswires)
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