Mozambique: Over 1,000 prisoners escape jail as election protests worsen

No fewer than 1,500 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Mozambique, taking advantage of ongoing political unrest triggered by disputed election results, police say.

According to police chief Bernardino Rafael, thirty-three people were killed and 15 injured in clashes with guards.

About 150 more fugitives have since been recaptured, he added.

Protests broke out on Monday in response to Mozambique’s highest court confirming that the ruling Frelimo party, in power since 1975, had won October’s presidential elections.

Mr. Rafael stated that groups of anti-government protesters had approached the prison in the capital, Maputo, on Wednesday. Prisoners used the unrest to knock down a wall and escape, he said.

Mozambique has been rocked by civil unrest since disputed elections in October. Official results showed the ruling Frelimo’s candidate for president, Daniel Chapo, winning.

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Fresh protests erupted on Monday, when the constitutional court decided that Chapo had won the election but reduced his margin of victory.

In October, initial results showed Daniel Chapo with 71% of the vote versus Venâncio Mondlane’s 20%.

The court has now determined that he won 65% to Mondlane’s 24%. A BBC reporter discovered Maputo was like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, with practically all shops closed and residents remaining at home to avoid being caught up in the city’s worst unrest since Frelimo first took office in 1975.

Frelimo offices, police stations, banks, and factories have been robbed, vandalised, and set on fire around the country.

Mondlane, who has since fled Mozambique, had been urging his supporters to protest what he claimed was a corrupt vote. In a weekend social media statement, he predicted a “new popular uprising” if the outcome was not reversed.

Approximately 150 people have been killed in three months of protests following the elections.

Mozambique: Over 1,000 prisoners escape jail as election protests worsen

France offering Nigeria money to destabilise my country – Niger Republic leader

Niger Republic’s Head of State, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has alleged that France is providing financial support to Nigerian authorities to establish a military base in Borno State.

Tiani said the plan is purportedly to destabilize Niger and its neighboring countries.

Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism and insurgency expert, made this known in a post on his X handle on Wednesday.

Makama said the Niger’s junta leader made the claim during a recent address, accusing France of meddling in the region and harboring ulterior motives.

“France has even offered to give money to Nigerian authorities to establish a base in Borno State, with the sole aim of destabilizing our countries.

“We have informed Nigerian authorities, including Nuhu Ribadu and Ahmed Abubakar Rufa’i, of a massive conspiracy to destabilize Niger.

“The Gaba Forest, located on the border between Sokoto (Nigeria) and Niger, was chosen as a base by terrorists recruited by France and ISWAP.

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“Unfortunately, it seems we have chosen our interlocutors badly, because it is their skills that have been exploited by France in an attempt to destabilize us on the Niger, Nigeria, Benin and Burkina Faso borders,” Makama quoted a statement purportedly made by General Tiani.

The security expert stated that the assertion marks the latest in a series of accusations directed at France by the Nigerien leader.

He said the development reflects the deteriorating relations between Niger and its former colonial power following the military coup in July 2023.

“Tiani’s administration has consistently accused France of interfering in Niger’s internal affairs and supporting factions opposed to the ruling junta,” Makama said.

In his analysis, the security experts tated that General Tiani’s allegations appear to be grounded more in speculation than substantiated fact.

He said, “These allegations seem part of a broader narrative aimed at isolating Nigeria due to its strong ties with France.”

Makama argued that such continued, unfounded accusations against Nigeria pose a significant threat to diplomatic relations between the two nations.

“General Tiani’s accusations not only undermine these important initiatives but also risk fueling unnecessary tensions between nations that share a common goal of achieving stability and peace in the Sahel region,” he added.

France offering Nigeria money to destabilise my country – Niger Republic leader

Cyclone kills 94, over 700 injured in Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe

At least 94 persons have been killed by cyclone Chido in Mozambique since it made landfall in the country last week, the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management has said.

It also revealed that 768 people were injured, and more than 622,000 people affected by the natural disaster, which has thrown the country into national mourning.

The same cyclone wreaked havoc in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte before moving on to Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

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The natural disaster hit Mozambique on December 15 with winds of 260 km/h (160mph) and 250 mm of rainfall in the first 24 hours.

The storm struck northern provinces that are regularly battered by cyclones, although it first reached Cabo Delgado before travelling further inland to Niassa and Nampula.

According to the INGD, the cyclone impacted the education and health sector, with more than 109,793 students affected with school infrastructure severely damaged.

Cyclone kills 94, over 700 injured in Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe