Mozambique’s main opposition leader Ven\u00e2ncio Mondlane has called for unity ahead of a fresh round of protests against the outcome of the presidential elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a live broadcast on his Facebook page, Mondlane – who is in self-imposed exile – urged citizens to join hands in their neighbourhoods at 11.45 pm and sing the national anthem until 2025 kicks in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We must find ourselves again as Mozambicans,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mozambique has faced one of its bloodiest weeks since October when Mondlane first called for protests after rejecting his defeat in the elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A local monitoring group, Plataforma Decide, said that 179 people died in riots last week after the country’s highest court confirmed that the ruling party candidate, Daniel Chapo, won the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This brought the death toll to 278 people since demonstrations began after the electoral commission declared Chapo the winner of elections in October, extending Frelimo’s 49-year rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fatalities include protesters, children and members of the security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mondlane fled Mozambique, saying his life was in danger after two of his aides were shot dead in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his latest address, he urged people to “cook and socialise” in their neighbourhoods, before a new wave of protests begins on 2 January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I am ready to lose my life for this fight,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He previously said he will install himself as president on 15 January – the day Chapo is due to be sworn in – despite the constitutional court upholding his rival’s victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is unclear how Mondlane intends to take office, given he is in self-imposed exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, Chapo said he would serve as “the President for all” after his inauguration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We will soon work together on solutions to the problems caused by this unfortunate situation,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The electoral commission declared Chapo the winner of the election with 71% of the vote, compared to Mondlane’s 20%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The constitutional court revised the result last week, giving Chapo 65% and Mondlane 24%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International election observers previously said the vote was flawed, pointing to doctored numbers and other irregularities during the counting process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ensuing protests have dealt a severe blow to Mozambique’s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 12,000 people have lost their jobs and more than 500 companies have been vandalised, Onorio Manuel, vice-president of the country’s Confederation of Economic Associations, told local news website O Pais.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with businesses, Frelimo offices, courts, police stations and road toll booths have been torched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, the police reported that more than 1,500 prisoners escaped from a maximum security prison, taking advantage of the political unrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neighbouring countries have also felt the impact of Mozambique’s unrest. Several thousand Mozambicans have fled across the border into Malawi as a result of the violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And a concerned South Africa dispatched a special envoy, Sydney Mufamadi, to Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, to discuss the crisis with President Filipe Nyusi, who is due to step down at the end of his two terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mufamadi said the discussion focused on understanding the nature of the crisis and exploring how South Africa could help resolve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South African officials say they have stepped up intelligence and security operations along the border in order to prevent criminal elements from crossing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mozambique’s main opposition leader Ven\u00e2ncio Mondlane has called for unity ahead of a fresh round of protests against the outcome of the presidential elections. In a live broadcast on his Facebook page, Mondlane – who is in self-imposed exile – urged citizens to join hands in their neighbourhoods at 11.45 pm and sing the national …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[35,156],"class_list":["post-7814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-politics","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n