The post-election crackdown in Mozambique, following the disputed general elections held on 09 October, 2024, reveals severe human rights concerns marked by violence and repression.
Development Diaries reports that security forces have escalated the situation by using deadly force to disrupt protests, leading to over 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries or arrests.
The use of tear gas, bullets, and excessive force by police to disperse peaceful assemblies has sparked widespread condemnation, highlighting Mozambique’s troubling approach to handling dissent.
The situation reflects a government prioritising the suppression of opposition voices over the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
The rise in violence and reports of the use of war-grade weapons like rifles and armoured trucks show that Mozambique’s government is not responding properly.
These kinds of actions not only break international human rights laws, but they also make people more afraid and less likely to participate in political processes.
Amnesty International’s account of police using tear gas on people even in their own homes shows how far the government has gone too far.
This pattern of repression suggests a deliberate strategy aimed at silencing political opponents and deterring civil society from challenging electoral outcomes or government authority.
The current crisis is compounded by targeted attacks on opposition figures, with the assassinations of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, and opposition leader Venancio Mondlane forced into hiding.
These events pose a major danger to unity in politics and show that people in the opposition are not only politically pushed to the edges, but also face existential threats.
The crackdown has also seen the restriction of internet access and social media blocks, effectively curbing the flow of information and citizens’ ability to organise or communicate.
Such actions erode the transparency essential for democratic oversight and raises concerns about the state’s commitment to fundamental freedoms.
The international response is now critical, as Mozambique’s government appears increasingly emboldened to use violence to secure power and intimidate dissent.
Development Diaries joins Amnesty International in calling on the Filipe Nyusi-led government to halt its violent and widespread crackdown on human rights and respect everyone’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association
We also call on regional organisations such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union to take a firm stance against these violations and advocate for the protection of human rights.
Source: Amnesty International
Photo source: ©Alfredo Zuniga/AFP via Getty Images
