A scene of destruction has been witnessed throughout the country since the end of yesterday (23), shortly after the Constitutional Council validated the election results, giving victory to Frelimo and its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo.

More than 30 episodes of vandalism were recorded in different regions of the country. In Maputo province, the violence was particularly intense. Police stations such as Cinema 700, Patrice Lumumba and Ndlavela were set on fire, as were the Matola Gare and Cumbeza tollbooths. In Bobole, along National Road Number 1, four buses were set on fire. In Boane, demonstrators destroyed a Republic of Mozambique Police (PRM) vehicle and set fire to the administrative post and the Matlemele police station. The house of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo, who is also the Frelimo party leader, was also attacked.

According to the newspaper Dossiers & FactsIn Maputo city, the damage was no less serious. Fires hit the Kamaxaquene courthouse, the branches of Millennium Bim in Choupal and BCI in Benfica.

Stores such as Terramar and Ipanema in Choupal were vandalized, and the Cervejas de Moçambique (CDM) factory in the Jardim neighbourhood was looted. A school attributed to Bernardino Rafael, general commander of the PRM, was also set on fire.

There were attempts at vandalism at the entrance to Maputo International Airport, but the damage was contained.

In the south, the wave of destruction reached Gaza province, where the house of the mayor of Macia was vandalized, showing that the protests have expanded beyond the capital and its surroundings.

In the north of the country, the violence continued. In Nampula, the epicenter of the unrest, the Shoprite supermarket and the Good One brickworks were vandalized. The third police station in Namicopo and the Cavaloaria police station were set on fire, with vehicles destroyed.

In Ribáuè, fires left a town in ruins. In Mecubúri, the Laurentina restaurant was burned down, resulting in two deaths. In Nacala, public and private infrastructures were looted and vandalized, exacerbating insecurity.

Meanwhile, in Malema, the head of operations was killed by the Naparamas, illustrating the worsening scenario of instability.

The situation was equally serious in Cabo Delgado, where a mine was the target of attacks, resulting in the burning of the facilities and the death of two protesters who were shot.

(Photo DR)