On Thursday, clashes with police in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, led to the deaths of at least three people, according to the city’s largest hospital on Friday, November 8. The hospital also reported that 66 individuals had been injured.
The protests followed allegations of electoral fraud in the October 9 polls, made by independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, who ran with the support of the Podemos party. Since late October, Amnesty International has reported a total of at least 20 deaths related to the protests, as of Wednesday, November 6.
Mondlane, who placed second according to the contested election results, called for a week-long protest that concluded on Thursday, November 7. On this day, thousands of demonstrators in Maputo set up road barricades and started fires, prompting police to respond with tear gas and rubber bullets. Mozambique’s armed forces have since been deployed.
In response to concerns over election irregularities, the Constitutional Council earlier this week directed the National Elections Commission to clarify discrepancies in vote counts from the three elections held last month. Meanwhile, incumbent President Filipe Nyusi of the Frelimo party has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue, cautioning against potential economic impacts from the protests.
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