Policia dispersa manifestanes
Maputo, 17 Oct (AIM) – Four people were injured on Wednesday in clashes in the northern Mozambican city of Nampula between the police and supporters of the independent presidential candidate, Venancio Mondlane.
Mondlane was on a private visit to Nampula, but he was greeted at the airport by a large crowd of supporters.
The Director or Order in the Nampula provincial police command, Gilberto Inguane, told reporters that Mondlane had wanted to march through the streets of the city, but had not informed the police of this intention.
Inguane said Mondlane even dispensed with a police escort, on the grounds that his visit was private.
“On his arrival, we went to greet him, and immediately we offered our security for his protection”, the police director said. “The candidate told us that his visit to Nampula was private, which was why he had not informed the authorities or the press”.
Mondlane was driven into the centre of the city, but with frequent stops along the way to greet the crowds. The police accompanied him along the route.
Inguane said that, when the police saw the crowds would cause problems for the normal movement in the city, they approached Mondlane’s delegation, and asked it to follow a route laid down by the police.
Inguane said that Mondlane initially agreed to accept the police recommendations, but “he became emotional because of the avalanche of people following him, and decided to follow a different route”.
Clashes broke out, with members of the crowd throwing stones at the police. Four people were injured, four others were detained, and tear gas was eventually used to disperse the crowd, but Inguane insisted that the police never opened fire.
However, one young protester showed reporters from the independent television station, STV, a bullet wound to his arm. He said he had been shot while he was defending Mondlane, and declared that “the revolution is beginning here in Nampula”.
Mondlane told reporters that his supposedly private visit was intended “to cheer up our political delegation, in the face of the election results which everybody knows are being manipulated”.
He said he also took the opportunity to thank the people of Nampula “who voted en masse, and right from the start believed in this project. It was here in Nampula, that we closed our campaign. The people deserved our thanks”.
Mondlane has called for a national general strike against the official election results next Monday – but he is also following legal paths. He announced that his team is now “preparing our appeal to the Constitutional Council (the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law) because we have proof of our victory”.
The police claimed it had information that Mondlane had instructed the population to make Molotov cocktails, which would be used to attack the police. But in fact no home-made explosive devices were used during the Wednesday disturbances.
“Once again, we urge the politicians not to incite violence”, said Inguane, “Don’t use the population to achieve goals that the population knows nothing about. Don’t use the population to destroy property”.
(AIM)
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