Traffic Restricted On The Main Road Between Maputo And South Africa

Today, locals once again blocked traffic on National Road Number 4, the main road that connects the center of Maputo to South Africa, protesting against the rising cost of living in Mozambique.

"The situation is complicated. The cost of living is high and we are protesting to see if they lower the prices of things," Vitorino Mariano, one of the protesters, told Lusa from the point where the highway was blocked, 35 kilometers from the center of Maputo.

The stretch, which has already been interrupted several times during post-election protests in recent months, was blocked at around 5 am (3 am in Lisbon) by two cargo trucks and, a few hours later, the Mozambican police went to the scene to clear the road, the main one among those that connect the center of the Mozambican capital to South Africa.

"People are taking to the streets to buy food and supplies. Things are really more expensive," António André, a street vendor who had to travel several kilometers, explained to Lusa, as passenger transport was also restricted on part of the road.

During the early hours of the day, without any shots being fired, at least until the end of the morning, the Rapid Intervention Unit of the Mozambican police tried to unblock the road under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, but the truck drivers were not there, forcing other drivers who were trying to pass by to take to the sidewalks.

"We will continue until things change and the resistance they had until 1975 [year of independence] we will also have," says Inácio Francisco, another protester.

Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of strong social unrest since October, with demonstrations and strikes called, first, by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the election results that gave victory to Daniel Chapo, supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the ruling party.

Currently, small-scale protests have been taking place in different parts of the country and, in addition to opposition to the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

Since October, at least 327 people have died, including about two dozen minors, and around 750 have been shot during the protests, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes.