In Mozambique, protests spearheaded by the opposition against the ruling Frelimo party’s alleged election fraud have claimed the lives of at least 18 people.
As protests against Mozambique’s disputed election last month intensify, South Africa has temporarily blocked its main border crossing with Mozambique due to safety concerns, according to the country’s border administration.
As opposition supporters protest against what they claim is a rigged election victory by Frelimo, the party that has controlled Mozambique since 1975, at least 18 people have been killed in the demonstrations, according to human rights organizations.
In response, security personnel have used live bullets and tear gas, and the government has blocked internet access and threatened to send in the army.
Following reports of vehicles being set on fire on the Mozambican side, South Africa blocked the Lebombo port of entry in its Mpumalanga region, the authority said in a statement sent to Reuters by email on Wednesday.
“Due to these security incidents and in the interest of public safety, the port has been temporarily closed until further notice,” the statement stated, noting that seven officials from Mozambique had sought safety and protection in South Africa.
An image of a lengthy queue of vehicles, reportedly stretching for kilometers, waiting to cross the border was shared on X by a reporter for South Africa’s state broadcaster, SABC.
Claims of fraud
Venancio Mondlane, a presidential candidate who claims to have won but finished second in the official results of the October 9 election, has called for a week of protests, including the most recent ones in Mozambique.
Regarding claims of fraud, the electoral commission has refrained from commenting, and Frelimo has not responded to inquiries for comment.
On Thursday, a march on Maputo, the capital, is expected to mark the end of the protests. Cristovao Chume, the defense minister of Mozambique, warned against attempts to seize power and stated on Tuesday that the military was prepared to step in.
According to the Mozambican Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, police violence has resulted in 24 fatalities. Zenaida Machado, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, told Reuters that she had confirmed 18 deaths so far but thought there may have been more.
Asserting that the protests were violent and that security personnel were forced to restore public order, which caused to fatalities, the interior minister has defended the police reaction.
