At least 21 people have been killed in the southern African nation of Mozambique since Monday, a government official said, as police officers and protesters clashed in the latest wave of unrest over a presidential election that demonstrators claim was rigged by the governing party.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the official, Pascoal Ronda, Mozambique’s interior minister, did not provide details on how the deaths occurred. He said two police officers were among the dead and that authorities had made 71 arrests in connection with the violence.
Human rights groups have asserted that Mozambique’s security forces have responded with excessive force to protests that erupted after the October election, including by firing live rounds and rubber bullets into crowds. More than 100 people have died in sporadic protests since the election was held.
Tensions escalated this week after the nation’s top court on Monday upheld the result of the election in favor of Daniel Chapo, the candidate for Frelimo, which has governed Mozambique since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
Protesters responded to the ruling by burning tires and blocking roads with rubbish and streetlights. Mr. Ronda said that hundreds of buildings were looted and vandalized, including police stations, schools, hospitals, courts and homes. A penitentiary was attacked, and 86 inmates were released.
“These acts pose a direct threat to stability, public safety and the values of our young democracy,” Mr. Ronda said. “Defense and security forces must act firmly to restore normalcy and hold those responsible accountable.”
The top opposition candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, has asserted that he was the winner of the election. He has called for a national shutdown and for Mozambicans to take to the streets in protest. Mr. Mondlane said in a livestream on Tuesday that he was open to dialogue, “but only with international mediation.”
“I will do what the people tell me to do,” he said. “I am with the people.”
Much of the anger stems from widespread irregularities in the election process — including voter registration and vote counting — that were identified by independent observers. Demonstrators argue that those irregularities helped to tip the poll in favor for Mr. Chapo and Frelimo.
Despite the concerns, the Constitutional Council, Mozambique’s highest court, certified the results on Monday, saying that Mr. Chapo won 65 percent of the vote to Mr. Mondlane’s 24 percent.
In central Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, a large group of protesters surrounded a police car and heavily armed forces on Tuesday evening, demanding the release of protesters who had been detained for throwing objects at the police. Another group of protesters joined in. Outnumbered, the officers opened the back of the police car and freed two young men, to the cheers of many.
The chaos spells further problems for the troubled economy of Mozambique, a coastal nation of 33 million people.
The government already was battling high unemployment and poverty, and an Islamic State-backed insurgency in the northern part of the country that has left several thousand dead and derailed lucrative natural gas projects. Much of the nation is now shut down at a time when things are usually bustling with the festive holiday season. Several airlines have canceled flights to Maputo.
The months of upheaval have also threatened stability across the region, where Mozambique’s neighbor, South Africa, has sought to fortify its border with the country to prevent any of the violence from spilling over.
South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, traveled to Mozambique last week to meet with Mr. Ronda. They discussed ways to tackle the disruption at the ports of entry between the countries, which has affected trade and supply chains and threatens food and energy security, according to the South African government.
“South Africa calls on all parties to commit to an urgent dialogue that will heal the country and set it on a new political and developmental trajectory,” South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement released on Tuesday.
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