Over 2,000 Mozambican families have crossed into neighboring Malawi this week to escape intensifying violence triggered by October’s disputed elections, Malawian authorities confirmed on Friday.
Businesses, including banks, shuttered in parts of Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, as security forces increased patrols following a deadly prison riot and mass breakout earlier this week.
The unrest began two months ago after Mozambique’s electoral commission declared the ruling Frelimo party and its presidential candidate victorious. Opposition parties accuse Frelimo of widespread electoral fraud, a claim the ruling party denies.
The Constitutional Council’s decision on Monday to uphold the contested election results sparked a fresh wave of protests. Monitoring group Plataforma Decide estimates 125 people have died since the court’s ruling and 252 since late October.
Malawian authorities reported that as of Wednesday, 2,182 Mozambican households had sought refuge in Nsanje, a district bordering Mozambique. “The situation is dire, and these individuals urgently need humanitarian aid,” said Nsanje district commissioner Dominic Mwandira in a letter seen by Reuters.
Venancio Mondlane, the main opposition leader who officially came second in the presidential race, has rejected the election results and called for peaceful protests, urging supporters to avoid looting and damaging infrastructure.
The unrest has disrupted foreign companies operating in Mozambique. Gemfields Group temporarily shut down operations at its largest ruby mine after violent attacks near the site. On Tuesday, more than 200 individuals attempted to breach a residential area for mine employees, setting fire to structures. Mozambican security forces killed two people during the incident, the company said.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s prison riot in Maputo claimed 33 lives and saw over 1,500 prisoners escape, though authorities have since recaptured some.
Frelimo has governed Mozambique since independence in 1975. Western observers have criticized this year’s election, describing it as neither free nor fair.
