A group of protesters occupied the access road to the Maputo international airport. The Police Rapid Intervention Unit held a protest.
This Saturday, the city of Maputo recorded, for the second consecutive day, clashes between supporters of the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, in which the police intervened by launching tear gas to disperse them.
One of these situations occurred in the afternoon, on Concordos Avenue in Lusaka, which gives access to the Maputo international airport, in the center of the city, with a group of protesters occupying the road, marching, a protest that was stopped by the police, specifically the Rapid Intervention Police Unit (UIR), using armored equipment and other means.
After the launch of tear gas, there were some disturbances on the road, objects were thrown and at least one tire caught fire in the traffic lane, while dozens of UIR elements positioned themselves between the neighborhood and the avenue, to allow the movement. automobile circulation. , despite the garbage containers, stones and other objects scattered around the place.
For the second consecutive day, the majority of private and public establishments remained closed in the center of the city of Maputo, although today with a greater number of people and public transport circulating in the Mozambican capital, but with large supermarkets closed again.
In the early hours of Thursday, the first day of seven strikes called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, the Mozambican police sent written messages to mobile phones (SMS) asking the population to refrain from “criminal practices.”
Today, for the second consecutive day, access to various social media platforms, through the Internet of mobile operators, presents limitations, at least in Maputo.
Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane called for a general strike and demonstrations for a week in Mozambique, starting on October 31, and marches in Maputo on November 7.
Mondlane designated this as the third stage of the challenge to the results of the October 9 general elections announced a week ago by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), following the protests held on the 21st, 24th and 25th.
The protests degenerated into clashes with police, resulting in at least 10 deaths, dozens of injuries and 500 arrests, according to the Center for Public Integrity, a Mozambican non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes.
On October 24, the CNE announced the victory of Daniel Chapo, supported by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), a party in power since 1975, in the elections for President of the Republic on October 9, with 70, 67% of the votes. .
Source: Observadora
