The African state’s police say protesters have forcibly removed 1,534 prisoners from their cells
More than 30 inmates have been killed and over 1,500 others, including convicted terrorists, have escaped after a riot broke out in a prison near Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, according to the southern African nation’s authorities.
The incident on Wednesday comes in the wake of ongoing violent protests across the former Portuguese colony, triggered by disputed elections in which the long-ruling Frelimo party was declared the winner.
Mozambican Police Chief Bernardino Rafael told journalists that a group of “subversive” anti-government protesters had approached the Matola Central Prison, demanding the release of the prisoners.
“This unrest caused emotions inside the prison that led to the collapse of the wall separating the prison from the police station and another prison establishment on the other side,” Rafael said, according to state-owned news agency AIM.
He stated that 33 inmates died, with 15 more injured during “direct confrontation” with officials of the National Penitentiary Service. Protesters forcibly removed 1,534 inmates from their cells, according to the police commander, who added that around 150 of the fugitives have been recaptured.
“We had 29 convicted terrorists that they released,” Rafael said.
Mass Prison Breaks happening now in Mozambique's High Security Prisons including Maputo Central Prison. About 2,500 dangerous Criminals have romped free onto the streets compromising the state of security both in Mozambique and the whole Southern African region pic.twitter.com/Iqfpm7LBMs
— Hosia Mviringi (@MviringiHosia) December 25, 2024
A new round of protests erupted in Mozambique on Monday in response to an electoral court ruling that confirmed Daniel Chapo, the presidential candidate for the Frelimo party, which has been in power since 1975, as the winner of the country’s October 9 elections.
The resource-rich African country has been in turmoil since late October, when the electoral authority first announced Chapo’s victory.
READ MORE: More deaths in Mozambique after ruling party’s victory confirmed (VIDEO)
Venancio Mondlane, the opposition leader of the Podemos party, who came in second place, alleged that the votes were marred by “massive fraud” and urged supporters to protest the results. Observers of the elections, including those from the European Union, reported irregularities in the counting and unjustified changes to the results.
Earlier results showed the president-elect obtaining 71% of the vote against his main rival Mondlane’s 20%. However, on Monday, the Constitutional Council said Chapo won 65% and Mondlane secured 24%.
On Tuesday, Mozambican Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda reported the deaths of at least 21 people, including two police officers, due to renewed clashes.
The latest data published by Plataforma Decide, a local civil society monitoring group, claims that 125 people were killed between Monday and Thursday, bringing the total death toll since the outbreak of hostilities on October 21 to 252.
