from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
Mozambique Bureau
MAPUTO, (CAJ News) – THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been accused of complicity in the deadly post-election crisis in Mozambique.
This response by Amnesty International follows reports of the police killings of seven people in Nampula on Wednesday.
Protests have been severe after the opposition alliance Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS) claimed vote rigging by the government led by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO).
“Regardless of the outcome of the elections, SADC must take a strong stand against the assault on the right to protest and the killing of protesters,” Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said.
The activist said SADC had been “painfully slow” to respond to Mozambique’s crisis.
“The bloc must forcefully speak out now against the ongoing violations of human rights by Mozambican security forces and put human rights and accountability at the center of its upcoming summit in Harare, Zimbabwe,” Farisè said.
The summit is scheduled for November 16 and 20.
Farisè added, “The African Union must also do much more to hold authorities in Mozambique accountable, including by requesting the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to conduct investigations into the ongoing human rights violations in Mozambique.”
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane has called for multiple phases of protests against alleged electoral fraud and police violations against protesters.
– CAJ News