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At least 30 people have been killed in violence related to a disputed election in Mozambique, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) tells the AFP news agency.
The three weeks that have passed since the presidential election in the South African country on October 9 have been marked by unrest. It is all over the country that people have lost their lives in the unrest, according to HRW. Most recently, police officers and soldiers were deployed on Thursday to break up a demonstration with thousands of people in the capital Maputo. At least three were killed and 66 injured in these clashes, the country’s largest hospital announced on Thursday, according to the Reuters news agency. The latest victims are not included in HRW’s calculation.
“Of the 66 injured, 57 were probably shot, four fell, three were injured by physical aggression and two were injured by sharp weapons,” said Dino Lopes, who is the hospital director at Maputo Central Hospital, adding that most of the victims are between 25 and 35 years old. Some are under 15 years old.
Thursday’s protests were some of the largest yet against the ruling Frelimo party, which according to official results won a landslide victory in elections a month ago. Frelimo has been in power in Mozambique since 1975.
It was opposition leader Venancio Mondlane who had called for the demonstrations. He claims that the election results were characterized by extensive fraud and that he is the real winner of the presidential election. He told AFP on Thursday that he feels Mozambique is at a crucial crossroads.
“I feel that there is a revolutionary mood that shows that we are on the verge of a historical and political transition in the country”.
The 50-year-old opposition leader has gone into hiding for his safety and will not disclose his whereabouts, but he says he is not in Africa.
“I so wanted to be in Maputo with my people. But unfortunately I have received over 5,000 messages, and 99 percent of them advise that I do not go there,’ he said on Thursday.
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Source: politiken.dk
