In Mozambique, Dozens Are Killed in Clashes Over Disputed Election Ruling

Hundreds of buildings were damaged or looted, including schools and hospitals, in a wave of unrest after Daniel Chapo was confirmed as the winner of the presidential election.

At least 56 people have been killed in Mozambique since Monday, a nongovernmental organization said on Wednesday, as police officers and protesters clashed in the latest wave of unrest over a presidential election that demonstrators claim was rigged by the governing party.

At Maputo Central Prison, which housed 2,500 inmates, more than 1,530 prisoners escaped, a police commander, Bernardino Rafael, said at news conference on Wednesday. Thirty-three prisoners were killed and 15 others wounded in a confrontation with guards trying to prevent detainees from fleeing, he said.

“Within the next few hours,” Mr. Rafael said, “150 of the escapees were recaptured by the authorities.”

Tensions escalated this week after the nation’s top court on Monday upheld the result of the election in favor of Daniel Chapo, the candidate for Frelimo, which has governed Mozambique since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

The political unrest comes as the southern African country is working to recover from Cyclone Chido. Mozambique’s death toll from the storm has risen to 120 since it made landfall more than a week ago, according to the country’s National Institute for Natural Disasters.

The death toll has nearly quadrupled from initial reported figures as rescue workers reach isolated rural areas. Most of those who died were in the province of Cabo Delgado, where hundreds of thousands of people had already fled their homes after years of attacks by an insurgent group backed by the Islamic State. The storm has affected more than 450,000 people in the country, the natural disaster institute said.

The protests erupted after the country’s election in October, and human rights groups say that Mozambique’s security forces have responded with excessive force, including firing live rounds and rubber bullets into crowds. The total death toll since Monday was unclear, but more than 150 people have died in the unrest since the election was held.

The top opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, has asserted that he won the election. He has called for a national shutdown and for Mozambicans to take to the streets in protest. Mr. Mondlane said in a livestream on Tuesday that he was open to dialogue, “but only with international mediation.”

“I will do what the people tell me to do,” he said. “I am with the people.”

Protesters responded to the ruling by burning tires and blocking roads with trash and streetlights. The deaths have occurred across seven provinces, according to Plataforma Decide, a civil society monitoring group that has been tracking incidents related to the election.

Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, said hundreds of buildings had been looted or vandalized, including police stations, schools, hospitals, courts and homes.

“These acts pose a direct threat to stability, public safety and the values of our young democracy,” Mr. Ronda said. “Defense and security forces must act firmly to restore normalcy and hold those responsible accountable.”

He said that two police officers were among the dead and that the authorities had made dozens of arrests in connection with the violence. Plataforma Decide said on Wednesday that at least 102 had been detained.

Four prison breaks occurred on Wednesday in Mozambique: three in the provinces of Maputo and Matola, and one in Zambézia. Mr. Rafael, the police commander, said that in Matola City, 29 detainees fled after a prison break, including people arrested in connection with terrorism in northern Mozambique.

Around 1 p.m. Wednesday local time, he said, protesters surrounded Maputo Central Prison, chanting and demanding the release of detainees. They then broke through the prison wall from the inside, he said, and a confrontation with prison guards ensued, resulting in deaths and injuries.

He said the police were “committed, using intelligence efforts, to recapture those who escaped,” but he warned that “we expect an increase in crimes in the Maputo area in the coming days.”

Much of the public’s anger stems from widespread irregularities in the election process — including voter registration and vote counting — that were identified by independent observers. Demonstrators argue that those irregularities helped to tip the poll in favor of Mr. Chapo and Frelimo.

Despite the concerns, the Constitutional Council, Mozambique’s highest court, certified the results on Monday, saying that Mr. Chapo had won 65 percent of the vote and Mr. Mondlane 24 percent.

In central Maputo, the capital, a large group of protesters surrounded a police car and heavily armed forces on Tuesday evening, demanding the release of protesters who had been detained for throwing objects at the police. Another group of protesters joined in. Outnumbered, the officers opened the back of the police car and freed two young men, to the cheers of many.

Apparently fearing shortages in the coming days, people formed long lines at gas stations in Maputo, some carrying plastic containers. Supermarkets in central Maputo were running empty of supplies, and smaller markets were facing shortages and rising prices. In the city center and suburbs of Maputo, mountains of rubbish were piling up.

Residents are increasingly concerned that criminals may begin targeting homes. Many neighborhoods have created “vigilante” groups via WhatsApp, with some holding emergency in-person meetings on Wednesday.

The chaos spells further problems for the troubled economy of Mozambique, a coastal nation of 33 million people.

The government was already struggling to address high unemployment and poverty, and the Islamic State-backed insurgency in the northern part of the country has left several thousand dead and derailed lucrative natural gas projects. Much of the nation is shut down at a time when things are usually bustling with the festive holiday season. Several airlines have canceled flights to Maputo.

The months of upheaval have also threatened stability across the region, and South Africa has sought to fortify its border with Mozambique to prevent any of the violence from spilling over.

South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, traveled to Mozambique last week to meet with Mr. Ronda. They discussed ways to tackle disruption at the ports of entry between the countries, which has affected trade and supply chains and threatens food and energy security, according to the South African government.

“South Africa calls on all parties to commit to an urgent dialogue that will heal the country and set it on a new political and developmental trajectory,” South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Lynsey Chutel contributed reporting.

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