New Amnesty International report details brutal three-month repression of opposition-led protests, including alleged internet blackouts and use of live ammunition against civilians.
By Africalivenews Staff Writer
MAPUTO, Mozambique — A new report by Amnesty International has accused Mozambican security forces of carrying out a brutal, months-long crackdown on protesters following the country’s disputed 2024 general elections. The report, released Wednesday, alleges that more than 300 people were killed and over 3,000 injured between October 2024 and January 2025, with thousands more arbitrarily arrested.
The human rights organization is calling on President Daniel Chapo’s administration to launch a full investigation into the alleged abuses and hold police and military personnel accountable. The report comes amid growing domestic and international concerns over escalating authoritarian tactics by the ruling Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since the country’s independence in 1975.
“The scale of the violence and the extent of state suppression in Mozambique is deeply alarming,” Amnesty said in a statement. “Security forces used lethal force against peaceful protesters and bystanders alike, in direct violation of international law.”
Protests Sparked by Disputed Election and Political Violence
The unrest was triggered by the results of the October 9, 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, where Daniel Chapo of Frelimo was declared the winner. The announcement was immediately met with widespread allegations of fraud and rigging, both from opposition parties and international observers.
Opposition-backed independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, supported by the Podemos party, became the central figure of the protests. Demonstrators claimed the elections were systematically manipulated in favor of Chapo, pointing to reports of ballot box stuffing, altered vote tallies, and disenfranchisement of opposition voters.
Tensions boiled over following the October 18 assassination of Mondlane’s lawyer and a Podemos party official, both of whom were gunned down while sitting in a parked car in the capital, Maputo. Mondlane decried the attack as a “political assassination,” calling for 25 consecutive days of nationwide protest—one for each bullet fired in the attack. The killing sent shockwaves through Mozambique’s political landscape and drew international condemnation.
Fearing for his own life, Mondlane left the country shortly after the assassinations, only returning in January 2025.
Crackdown Leaves Hundreds Dead, Thousands Detained
According to Amnesty’s findings, Mozambican police and military forces launched a campaign of heavy-handed repression against protestors between October 21 and January 25. The report includes harrowing accounts of security forces firing live ammunition into crowds, deploying rubber bullets at close range, and launching tear gas canisters indiscriminately into densely populated areas.
Plataforma DECIDE, a Mozambican civil society organization, provided Amnesty with data indicating that at least 315 people were killed during that three-month period—far exceeding the government’s official death toll of 96. Authorities acknowledged the deaths of 17 police officers among the fatalities.
Amnesty’s investigation was based on interviews with 28 individuals, including survivors, eyewitnesses, healthcare professionals, lawyers, and family members of victims. It further corroborated reports that at least 10 children were among those killed during the protests.
In addition to deadly force, Amnesty highlighted a sweeping wave of mass arrests, with over 4,000 people detained—many of them arbitrarily. Among the detained were teenagers and bystanders with no direct link to the protests. Numerous detainees reported being denied access to legal counsel and facing harsh treatment in custody.
“The government responded to calls for justice with bullets and batons,” Amnesty stated. “Mozambican authorities must immediately halt these violations, release arbitrarily detained individuals, and hold all perpetrators to account.”
Allegations of Digital Censorship and Blackouts
Amnesty also accused Mozambican authorities of attempting to suppress the flow of information during key protest days. The organization claims that evidence points to government-directed internet blackouts and restricted access to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp during peak periods of civil unrest.
Digital censorship has become an increasingly common tactic among authoritarian regimes across Africa in recent years, used to quell dissent and disrupt protest organization. Amnesty said these alleged shutdowns not only violated the right to free expression but also endangered lives by blocking access to emergency information.
Chapo Sworn In, Political Violence Continues
Daniel Chapo was officially sworn in as Mozambique’s president in January 2025. Though he met with Mondlane in March for a mediation session—during which he promised to investigate the protest-related deaths—little progress has been made on delivering justice for the victims, according to Amnesty and other rights groups.
Frelimo’s grip on power has long been tied to its control over electoral processes. The European Union’s observer mission reported serious irregularities in the 2024 election, including deliberate invalidation of opposition votes and manipulation of polling station results. These accusations mirror similar claims made in past elections, reinforcing perceptions of systemic bias within Mozambique’s democratic institutions.
Mondlane, a former member of the Renamo party, which transitioned from a rebel movement to a political party after Mozambique’s civil war ended in 1992, has become one of the most prominent challengers to Frelimo’s rule in recent years. His campaign and the mass protests supporting him represent the most serious threat to the ruling party’s dominance in decades.
Although mass protests have largely dissipated following the crackdown, politically motivated violence continues. On Sunday, one of Mondlane’s key campaign organizers, Joel Amaral, was shot three times—including once in the head—in the port city of Quelimane. Amaral survived the attack and remains hospitalized in critical condition.
International Pressure Mounts
Calls for accountability are growing from international bodies, including the United Nations and the African Union, both of which have expressed concern over Mozambique’s deteriorating human rights environment. Amnesty’s report is expected to increase that pressure, as global eyes turn to Maputo for signs of reform.
Human rights advocates are demanding that Mozambique uphold its constitutional obligations to protect civil liberties and democratic participation. For families of those who lost loved ones during the protests, justice remains elusive.
“The blood of peaceful protestors stains the streets of Mozambique,” said one victim’s father, quoted in the Amnesty report. “All we ask is for truth, justice, and dignity for the lives that were taken.”
