Mozambique opposition, government agree to ‘end violence’
Mozambique opposition leader Venancio Mondlane said Monday he and President Daniel Chapo had agreed to "end all violence" after months of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces.
Mondlane met with Chapo on Sunday in Maputo, the capital of the southern African nation which has been gripped by political turmoil since a disputed general election in October.
“We will end all violence,” Mondlane said in a live video on social media. “All types of persecution, from both sides, we agreed it has to stop.”
This included “police violence and civil violence” against police, his own supporters as well as members of the ruling party, Mondlane said.
“We have to stop the destruction of public and private property … and give the country a chance to stabilise,” he said.
Over 360 people have died in the demonstrations and blockades which have been violently repressed, according to a local civil society group.
The opposition leader said the president had also agreed on the need to provide “social and psychological assistance” to the families of victims and to create “legal conditions” for detained protesters to be released.
Official results put Mondlane in second place in last year’s presidential election and handed victory to Chapo of the Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Chapo was credited with 65 percent of the vote, compared to 24 percent for Mondlane.
But the opposition leader claims he won 53 percent and has rallied enough support to hand Frelimo its first real challenge in half a century.
“I totally disagree with the election results, I continue saying that this government was put in place on the basis of electoral fraud,” Mondlane said in his live video.
But “today, we are here to say to the Mozambican people that we are starting this dialogue,” he added.
Chapo took office in January and earlier this month signed a post-election deal with nine other parties.
The deal, yet to be approved by parliament, aims to culminate with a review of the constitution.
Mondlane, who is popular with young people, did not attend that dialogue and instead marshalled hundreds of his supporters to a march in Maputo.
Some 14 people were wounded in violent clashes with police. And at least two more people were killed last week when police opened fire on a crowd marking another round of protests called by the opposition leader. AFP
