Catholic leader says Mozambique is descending ‘inexorably into chaos’

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Tensions have escalated in Mozambique as protests against the ruling Frelimo party intensify. After ruling for more than five decades, the party is set to extend its power after its candidate, Daniel Chapo, was declared the winner of the October 9 presidential election.

The opposition and various observers disputed the results, with many believing that independent candidate Venancio Mondlane was the real winner. In response, Mondlane called for nationwide protests. Police responded with tear gas and bullets, resulting in at least 30 deaths.

Johan Viljoen, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), an entity of the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), said Crux that Mozambique descended into chaos.

“The government has said it will not negotiate with the leader of the opposition, Venancio Mondlane, who, according to the first figures from the polling stations, had 58 percent of the votes that actually won the election,” Viljoen said.

“I saw many people shot by the police. It’s already chaos. So it’s getting worse, people are becoming recalcitrant. We saw widespread destruction of property and violence.” he explained.

On 7 November, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital Maputo, chanting “Frelimo must fall”.

In a statement on November 6, the Denis Hurley Institute for Peace said that what began as a demand for electoral justice has evolved into something much deeper.

“This move is a cry against the erosion of basic dignity of life, the scourge of corruption and the growth of criminal networks that have turned Mozambique into a crossroads of drug trafficking, enriching an elite linked to the ruling party, Frelimo,” it said communicated. .

“These protesters – young, determined and undeterred – demand the right to build a life with opportunities, to find work, to imagine a future. They oppose the exploitation of Mozambique’s natural wealth, which benefits a narrow and privileged circle, while leaving the majority in poverty,” he continues.

The statement criticized the government’s response, saying authorities had “silenced” the voices of protesters by shutting down the internet.

“Closing is more than a barrier to communication; it is a form of digital apartheid that disproportionately affects poor, marginalized communities where resistance to the Frelim regime is strongest,” the statement said.

“On the ground, the scene is one of relentless repression. Security forces have responded to the protests with a level of violence that betrays an intent not to protect but to intimidate. Unarmed demonstrators – many of them young, some even children – face rubber bullets, tear gas and, in extreme cases, live ammunition,” the statement added.

During his Angelus prayer on Sunday, November 10, Pope Francis urged dialogue as a way out of the impasse.

“The news from Mozambique is worrying. I invite everyone to engage in dialogue, tolerance and the tireless search for just solutions,” the pontiff said.

“Let us pray for the entire Mozambican population that the current situation does not make them lose faith in democracy, justice and peace,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops of South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini urged electoral authorities in the southern African nation to address the “causes of discontent. “

“We join you (Mozambican bishops) in calling on the authorities to address the causes of discontent over these elections and to respect the will of the Mozambican people,” the bishops said in a letter signed by the South African Catholic president. Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka and addressed the Catholic Bishops of Mozambique.

The bishops, in their November 8 letter, said they regretted the South African government’s decision “to support the election despite such widespread complaints”.

Thursday’s protests were the biggest Frelimo has seen since 1975. Mozambique’s Catholic bishops rejected the election results, calling them “a lie”.

Even before Thursday’s mass protests, the bishops had already urged “all those directly involved in the electoral process and the resulting conflict to admit guilt, offer forgiveness and embrace the courage of the truth.”

“This is the path that will return to the normalization of a country that wants to be alive and active and not silenced by fear of violence,” the Mozambican bishops said in the October 22 statement.

Members of the Episcopal Conference of South Africa have expressed their desire to pay a solidarity visit to their colleagues in Mozambique.

As a way out of the crisis, they suggested the creation of “collaborative spaces in governance and the consideration of a possible government of national unity; involves competent and serious institutions in the country in the management of the electoral processes, present and future; and offers Mozambique a future of hope.”

“Mozambique deserves truth, peace, tranquility and tolerance,” they said.