Mozambicans went to the polls on 9 October 2024 in a high stakes election that would ultimately turn violent. With counting completed and the ruling Frelimo party declared victorious, disgruntled voters and members of the opposition began protesting what they called a fraudulent outcome. With the killing of two aides of the opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, widespread unrest erupted and Mondlane fled the country. International observers also sounded the alarm about the legitimacy and credibility of the October election. Protests, looting, and police brutality quickly spread, and hundreds of people have died. The violence has also disrupted regional trade, with exports and imports via the port of Maputo and the Lebombo border post coming to a jolting halt. Differing election results were announced and the country’s electoral commission scheduled the destruction of ballot papers and other related results material for 17 January, adding to the suspicion of an already dissatisfied electorate. Frelimo’s candidate, David Chapo, was inaugurated on 15 January. Mondlane has since returned to the country, but not before holding his own mock inauguration as ‘the candidate of the people’. Mondlane has said that he would hold off on further protests for the first 100 days of Chapo’s presidency provided that a series of demands set by Mondlane is met.
This webinar, led by SAIIA’s African Governance and Diplomacy Programme, explored both the domestic and regional impacts of the protests and unrest in Mozambique following the October 2024 elections. The new government has to work on restoring stability and bridging divides, while also addressing the governance shortfalls that charged much of the post-electoral violence in the country.
This webinar asked:
- What could or should be the role of South Africa, other African countries, SADC and the AU in helping to resolve this crisis?
- What is really going on in Mozambique and why?
- What are the possible scenarios that may play out over the short and medium term?
- What messages are the actions of citizens and the state sending to other countries in the SADC region?
- What are some of the potential long-term impacts of the closing of borders and key trading posts? Has this noticeably impacted the regional economy?
- What impact will this unrest have on regional stability, especially considering the ongoing insurgency in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province?
Speakers
- André Mulungo – Editor and Democracy Coordinator (CDD Mozambique)
- Marisa Lourenço – Independent Specialist Risk Consultant
- Egídio Chaimite – Senior Researcher (Institute for Social and Economic Studies [IESE], Mozambique)
Moderator
- Steven Gruzd – Head: SAIIA’s African Governance and Diplomacy Programme
Watch the recording below: