Nyusi Says There Are “No Reasons” For Deaths In Mozambique Protests

The Mozambican President called on Monday for an end to the destruction of the country in the face of demonstrations and strikes, saying that there is "no reason" for deaths in disputes over election results and acknowledging that "differences will never end".

"There is no reason, no reason for Mozambicans to die, just as there is no reason or reason to destroy the country built with sacrifice by all of us. This desire does not exist, the desire for death, for destruction, for injustice", said the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, during a reception for some national political groups to discuss post-election tension.

Filipe Nyusi acknowledged that the country is experiencing "an atmosphere of panic" in the face of the demonstrations and strikes called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane to contest the results of the October 9 elections.

"We are approximately 40 days after the elections and almost 25 after the announcement by the National Electoral Commission (...). I don't want to say who is right or wrong, but what is not right is that no one can die", said Nyusi, asking political parties to "work collectively" to find "a common denominator" among Mozambicans.

"Now, how this happens is something we have been looking at. Our request is to consult on what we are seeing and assess whether we need to stop. The differences will never end, there is no place where the differences have ended, there is none, we do not know, we would be otherworldly", warned Filipe Nyusi.

At least 25 people died and another 26 were shot in five days of protests contesting the results of the general elections in Mozambique, according to an update from the Decide electoral platform, released today.

The deaths and shootings occurred between 13 and 17 November in at least five Mozambican provinces during the fourth stage of strikes called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who is contesting the victory of Daniel Chapo, a candidate supported by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), who won with 70.67% of the votes, according to the results announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).

According to the electoral monitoring platform, there were also 135 arrests in Mozambique following the protests, most of which were recorded in Zambézia, in the centre of the country, with a total of 25 detainees.

Venâncio Mondlane, who came in second with 20.32% of the votes, according to the CNE, stated that he did not recognise the election results, which still need to be validated and proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, which has no deadline to do so and is still analysing the dispute.

After protests that paralyzed the country on October 21, 24 and 25, Mondlane once again called on the population to a seven-day general strike, starting on October 31, with national protests and a demonstration concentrated in Maputo on November 7, which caused chaos in the capital, with deaths, barricades, burning tires and gunfire and tear gas by the police throughout the day to disperse the protesters.