At least 110 people have died in 7 weeks of post-election protests in Mozambique, rights groups say

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — More than 100 people including children have been killed by security forces in post-election protests in Mozambique that have lasted nearly two months, rights and civil society groups said.

The main opposition leader called Thursday for more demonstrations against what he says was a rigged vote by the governing party.

The southern African nation, which endured a 15-year civil war from 1977 to 1992, has been beset by unrest and street protests since two prominent opposition officials were fatally shot in their car by unknown gunmen on Oct. 18.

Those killings, which were called political assassinations by their party, increased tensions following a disputed Oct. 9 presidential election. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest against the long-governing Frelimo party, which has held power in Mozambique for nearly a half-century.

Since Oct. 21, 110 people have been killed in the protests, said Plataforma Eleitoral Decide, a Mozambique civil society group that monitors elections. Thirty-four of those were killed between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10 as the protests show no sign of abating, the group said.

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International rights group Amnesty International repeated that death toll and said Wednesday that the fatalities were among a total of 357 people who have been shot by security forces during the protests. More than 3,500 people have been arbitrarily arrested, Amnesty said.

Rights groups have criticized Mozambican authorities for what they call a brutal clampdown on what started as peaceful protests against the election, which opposition parties say was rigged. International observers also reported irregularities with the vote.

Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo was declared the winner and president-elect to succeed current Mozambique leader Filipe Nyusi, who has served a maximum two terms. Chapo is due to be inaugurated on Jan. 15, but the election result hasn’t been validated by the Constitutional Council as required amid legal challenges by the opposition.

Frelimo previously has been accused of rigging elections through ballot stuffing and having officials loyal to it working at polling stations, including in last year’s local government vote, which also sparked protests.

But the ongoing demonstrations are the largest challenge to Frelimo since it came to power when the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

Thousands of protesters have barricaded roads, burned tires and set fire to police stations and Frelimo offices in the capital, Maputo, and other major cities, bringing parts of the country to a standstill. The army has been deployed.

Authorities have said the protests were violent and needed to be suppressed, but rights groups have accused them of using excessive force to increase anger.

The rights groups say police and soldiers have regularly shot at peaceful protesters, while an army vehicle driving directly at and running over a female protester was caught on video and cited by the United States, the U.K. and others as evidence of brutality by the security forces. The army said that it was an accident.

Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who was second behind Chapo in the election results, has left the country over fears for his safety, but has encouraged people to continue protesting through regular videos and messages that he has posted on social media.

He said he would announce a new phase of protests on Monday.

“If the regime still wants to maintain the election results, if the fraudsters want to maintain the idea of establishing another illegal, illegitimate and unelected government, we will have no alternative,” Mondlane said in a video.

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