Police in Mozambique fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday, as they dispersed protests in several cities over a disputed presidential election, according to local sources and AFP reporters.
Unrest has rocked the southern African nation since an October 9 election, which was won by the ruling Frelimo party, in power since 1975, but denounced as fraudulent by opposition parties.
Election observers including from the European Union have noted irregularities and denounced violence before, during and after the vote.
The leading opposition candidate, Venancio Mondlane, has called for nationwide protests from October 31 to November 7, with a final rally planned in Maputo.
On Saturday, hundreds of people who had gathered to protest against election results in Maputo were dispersed by police with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to AFP reporters on the scene.
Police were seen patrolling the city on Saturday to try and dissuade residents from other parts of the country from coming to next week’s protest.
In the northern province of Nampula, almost 2,000 kilometres (more than 1,200 miles) from the capital, clashes broke out in several areas on Saturday between protesters and police, a witness and a local group told AFP.
In the city of Nampula, “at approximately 9h (0700 GMT) almost 500 people took to the street on Trabalho avenue to contest election results,” said Constantino Jose, a taxi driver in the city.
“Protesters also gathered in Arresta (the largest market in Nampula) and blocked some roads,” said Jose.
“Police shot tear gas and real bullets to disperse the crowd,” he said, without giving further details.
A local civil society group, Plataforma Decide, told AFP that “Nampula province is in chaos” and that “in Nampula City… the police fired tear gas.”
Police did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the reports.
In the town of Namialo, some 95 kilometres (60 miles) from Nampula, “over a hundred demonstrators burnt tyres on the street,” a local journalist said, adding that “a strong police contingent” had been deployed to the area.
He asked to remain anonymous as he feared for his safety.
Another source said that at least nine people had been shot, but it wasn’t immediately clear if it was by tear gas or bullets.
A local official, Melchior Focas, an administrator in Meconta-Namialo, confirmed to AFP there had been “clashes” in the area.
Mozambique has imposed internet restrictions since post-electoral violence broke out, including blocking access to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Mondlane has widely used social media platforms to communicate with his supporters and rally them to protest.
The spiral of unrest started shortly after the election, turning violent on October 24 when the electoral commission declared Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo, 47, winner with almost 71 percent of votes.
Mondlane, 50, of the small Podemos party, came second with 20 percent but said the results were “false”.
Police have said that 20 people have been injured in post-electoral violence and that two people had died, without giving details.
An investigation was opened into Mondlane following the unrest and his calls for “25 days of terror”.
