Doctors marched in Maputo with a request: “Stop killing our people”

The pressure of a few hundred Mozambican health professionals, led by doctors, shouting “stop killing our people”, provoked this Tuesday the first demonstration in Maputo since the suspension of activities in the context of the challenge to the electoral results. .

Initially advertised as a “march for health and human rights“, Napoleão Viola, president of the Mozambique Medical Association (AMM), who ended up leading the demonstration, early announced an agreement with the police to move the protest to a rally outside the institution for “security reasons.”

Under pressure from hundreds of health professionals, who shouted “we want to march,” the protesters ended up going, first, on foot, peacefully, to the Aid Bank of the Maputo Central Hospital, returning and then walking along Eduardo Mondlane Avenue. and march towards the statue of the historic Mozambican leader, amid cries of “help”, “save Mozambique” and “stop killing our people”, while hundreds of people in the buildings and on the sidewalks applauded.

Around 12:00 local time (10:00 in Lisbon), already back at the AMM headquarters, with posters protesting the post-election violence and police repression, always without incident for more than two hours, and under surveillance In front of the police, these professionals shouted: “Are we marching or are we not marching?”

“Everything went very well, since the objectives were achieved. First, convey a message of peace, health and the need to improve the issue of public security, non-violence and respect for human rights,” stated Napoleão Viola at the end.

“Secondly, we managed to ensure that colleagues could effectively, this Tuesday, march freely and safely and the police also managed to fulfill their role, which is also worthy of congratulations,” added the leader of the medical profession, in a march marked by professionals with white coats and stethoscopes around their necks.

This was the first demonstration, which they described as “non-partisan”, that took place without the intervention of the police – who stopped the previous ones with tear gas to disperse the protesters – since Thursday, when the seven-day strike period began. general. and requests for protests began from the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognize the announced results of the general elections of October 9, which gave victory (70.67%) to Daniel Chapo, candidate supported by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power since 1975). ).

“This is the great lesson that remains today, that we must have the ability to listen to the voice of the people. We listened to the voice of the people, the association listened, the police listened and we managed to guarantee everyone’s safety and in the end we are all happy,” stated the president of the AMM.

During today’s protest, doctors reported that in the violence of recent days, particularly in demonstrations stopped by police, at least 108 people were shot and 16 died, with health services under pressure.

Fyasse, a 40-year-old pediatrician, guaranteed during the march that the message of the Mozambican doctors passed: “We have transmitted what was the feeling of all Mozambicans and especially of us, in the health sector, who value the lives and health of our patients.”

Meanwhile, the comrades resumed the protest cry that marked Tuesday’s march.

“Don’t kill our people, exactly. Don’t kill people because it is violence. “That’s enough,” explained the pediatrician.

Iaqni de Sousa, a 30-year-old general practitioner, highlighted in this march that he showed “indignation” at what he describes as a “violation of human rights” and an “attack on life.”

“We are preserving life, that is our greatest value. It is a fundamental right of everyone,” he stated.

Next door, a medical student who had just started the course said: “The police don’t have to just take the life of a human being.”