More than 100 people, including children, have been killed by security forces in po⛄st-election protests in Mozambiq𓃲ue, a southeast African country, that have lasted nearly two months, rights and civil society groups said.
The main opposition leader called Thursday for more d💟emonstrations against wh𒁃at he says was a rigged vote by the governing party.
The southern African nation, which endured a 15-year civil war from 1977 to 1992, has been beset by unrest and street protests ಞsince two prominent opposition officials were fatally shot in their car by unknown gunmen on October 1☂8.
Those killings, which were called political assassinations by their part🌌y, increased tensions following a di🥃sputed October 9 presidential election.
Thousands of people have taken🐭 to the streets in protest against the long-governing Frelimo party, which has held power in Mozambique for nearly a half-cen♋tury.
Since October 21, 110 people have been killed in the protests, said Plataforma Eleitoral Decide, a Mozambique civil society group that monitors elections. Thirty-four of those were 𝄹killed between December 4 and December 10 as the protests show no sign of abating, the group said.
International ri💎ghts group Amnesty International repeated that death toll and said Wednesday that the fatalities were among a total of 357 people who have been shot by security forces during the protests. More than 3,50♐0 people have been arbitrarily arrested, Amnesty said.
Rights groups have criticised Mozambican authorities for what they call a brutal clampdown on what started as peaceful protests against the election, which opposition parties say was rigged. International observers also reported irregul꧙arities with the vote.
Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo was declareꦅd the winner and president-elect to succeed current Mozambique leader Filipe Nyusi, who has served a maximum two terms. Chapo is due to be inaugurated on January 15, but the election result hasn't been🌸 validated by the Constitutional Council as required amid legal challenges by the opposition.
Frelimo previously has been accused of rigging elections through ballot stuffing and having officials loyal to it working at polling statiꦏons, including in last year's local go✃vernment vote, which also sparked protests.
But the ongoing demonstrations are the largest challenge to Frelimo since it came t﷽o power when the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
Tꦅhousands of protesters have barricaded roads, burned tires and set fire to police stations and Frelimo offices in the capital, Maputo, and other major cities, bringing 🅷parts of the country to a standstill. The army has been deployed.
Authorit💖ies have said the protests were violent and needed to be suppressed, but rights groups have accused th🅰em of using excessive force to increase anger.
The rights groups sa🌞y police and soldiers have regularly shot at peaceful protesters, while an army vehicle driving directly at and running over a female protesterꦅ was caught on video and cited by the United States, the UK and others as evidence of brutality by the security forces. The army said that it was an accident.
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who was second behind Chapo in the election results, has left the country over fears for his s💧afety, but has encouraged peop𓆉le to continue protesting through regular videos and messages that he has posted on social media.
H♛e said he would announce💛 a new phase of protests on Monday.
“If the regime still wants to ✃maintain the election results, if the fraudsters want to maintain the idea of establishing another illegal, illegitimate and unelected government, we will have no alternative,” Mondlane said in a video.
