Mozambique: South Africa Strengthens Border
South Africa has reinforced security at the Lebombo border, a strategic point connecting with Mozambican territory, to protect its interests and ensure order in the region, following the validation of the results of the October 09 general elections in Mozambique, which triggered a panorama of instability in the country, with violent protests and repressive actions by the authorities.
Following the provisional election results, the country faced a wave of protests and violence that resulted in hundreds of deaths and a trail of destruction. The instability in Mozambique had previously led South Africa to close the Lebombo border crossing, thus preventing potential repercussions on its territory.
Reinforcement of Border Security
"We have stopped processing cargo since this morning due to the threat resulting from the Constitutional Council's announcement regarding confirmation of the election results in Mozambique."
Commissioner Michael Masiapato, head of the South African Border Management Authority (BMA), told the press tonight that the border guard contingent is being reinforced by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and soldiers from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
“We will be here all night and we will definitely ensure that there is no threat to the security of the border post [in Lebombo, near Ressano Garcia, on the Mozambican side],” he stressed.
According to the South African official, South Africa has established an alternative route through the Mananga post, on the border with the Kingdom of Eswatini, in case they receive instructions to that effect from the Mozambican authorities.
The Protests in Mozambique
The announcement by South African authorities comes after Mozambique's Constitutional Council today validated the victory in the October 09 general elections of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), in power for half a century, immediately triggering violent unrest in the country by voters who dispute the official results.
Judges of the Constitutional Council validated the presidential candidate of the ruling party in Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, with approximately 65 percent of the vote, revising downwards the initial results announced by the National Electoral Commission of around 71 percent of the vote.
Post-election violence has already left more than 130 dead. The Constitutional Council's announcement of the election results once again brought chaos to the streets this Monday, with gunshot wounds and an as-yet-uncounted trail of destruction.
In the center of the Mozambican capital, chaos broke out even before the president of the Constitutional Council, Lúcia Ribeiro, finished reading the ruling, with Avenida Joaquim Chissano and Acordos de Luzaka, two of the city's main avenues, blocked by protesters, who were burning tires.
“This doesn't make sense. They stole our vote.”
Shouted one of the young protesters in the middle of Luzaka Agreements Avenue, amid the black smoke from burning tires and the gunfire from the police trying to disperse the groups of protesters.
Impact of Disorders
Clashes between police and protesters continued for hours at that point, with at least one young man being shot and taken to the hospital in a police vehicle.
On Avenida de Moçambique, a few kilometers from Avenida Acordos de Luzaka, the situation was the same, with the road blocked and at least two people injured by gunshots who were rescued by bystanders.
On that avenue, even with the onset of night, chaos prevailed despite the rain that began to fall, with at least two bank branches burned and several stores vandalized, including one of the main supermarkets in the Choupal neighborhood, on the outskirts of Maputo.
53 kilometers from Avenida de Moçambique, in the Boane district, a police vehicle was set on fire, and 31 kilometers from Boane, in the Maxaquene neighborhood on the outskirts of Maputo, a courthouse was burned. In Cumbeza, in Maputo province, a toll booth was also vandalized.
Images taken from Katembe, on the other side of Maputo Bay, showed, in the late afternoon, a city covered in black smoke, the result of burning tires in several parts of the Mozambican capital's roads that still carried the smell of tear gas.
Until late in the evening, despite the rain, gunshots could still be heard from the center of Maputo, with the capital operating at half capacity since the early hours of the day the election results were announced.
Electoral Dispute in Mozambique
The Constitutional Council of Mozambique today proclaimed Daniel Chapo, a candidate supported by Frelimo, as the winner of the election for President of the Republic, with 65,17% of the votes, succeeding Filipe Nyusi in office.
The proclamation of these results by the CC confirms the victory of Daniel Chapo, a 47-year-old jurist, current secretary-general of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), announced on October 24 by the National Elections Commission (CNE), but at the time with 70,67%.
This announcement by the CNE triggered demonstrations and strikes for almost two months, called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who did not recognize them, causing at least 130 deaths in clashes with the police, according to data from non-governmental organizations monitoring the process.
Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), had come in second with 20,32%, according to the CNE's previous announcement. The Constitutional Council, in its reading of the results today, confirmed his second place, awarding him 24,19% of the vote.
Conclusion
The current situation in Mozambique highlights the severity of political divisions and the urgent need for democratic and peaceful solutions. Mozambique's future will depend on its leaders' ability to promote dialogue and reconciliation. to restore the Mozambican people's confidence in the democratic process.
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Picture: © 2024 Paulo Juliano
