Violence escalates in Mozambique. After the Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the official results of the October presidential election, there were violent protests for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, and a bloody prison revolt also occurred.
According to the non-governmental organization “Plataforma Eleitoral Decide” at least 56 people have died in the unrest since Monday, with Mozambique’s Interior Minister previously reporting two police officers killed as well.
The violence has spiraled out of control, with the authorities reporting a prison revolt on Wednesday, in which 33 more people lost their lives. A total of 1,534 prisoners escaped, of whom only 150 were quickly recaptured.
Initially, the protesters on the streets were unhappy with the announcement of the election results, which declared Daniel Chapo the winner of the presidential election with 65% of the votes, while opposition leader Venancio Mondlane received only 24%.
Mondlane, who had already left Mozambique for South Africa after the election in October, announced that he would not recognize the results and declare himself president in mid-January, while also calling for peaceful protests.
Meanwhile, images from Mozambique showed burning barricades, with looting of shops also occurring. In addition to the likely at least 89 fatalities, hundreds of people are reported to have been injured.