10 People Shot Dead During Riots In Election Protests In Mozambique

JAKARTA - Ten people were shot dead and 63 others injured during post-election protests in Mozambique last week.

Protests took place before and after the Mozambique election commission announced the ruling party Frelimo won the election on October 9, extending its power for 49 years.

Opposition candidates, civil society groups, and observers say the election was rigged.

The election commission declined to comment on allegations of fraud, while Frelimo did not return a request for a response.

Police responded to the protest with tear gas and gunfire.

Mozambique's Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda said the protests were accompanied by violence and security forces were forced to restore public order, resulting in death.

"In the period between October 18 and 26, 73 shooting cases were recorded, resulting in 10 deaths," a joint statement from the Mozambique Medical Association and the Mozambique Doctors' Order was reported by Reuters, Wednesday, October 30.

The actual figure could be higher because many people don't report to the hospital, said Human Rights Watch, which independently confirmed 11 deaths.

HRW said more than 50 people suffered serious gunshot wounds.

Tensions escalated in the post-election period after a lawyer and opposition party official were shot dead in their car three days after the vote.

The US government and other countries have called for an investigation.

Presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, who is second in the official results but claims to be the real winner, called for a new demonstration that began on Thursday for a week.

In the capital Maputo, traffic is denser than usual on Wednesday as people buy food and other items in preparation for possible riots in the days to come.