Children shot dead after joining pot-banging protests in Mozambique

BBC:

The mourners at a cemetery in crisis-hit Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, were strikingly young – children shedding tears as they bade farewell to a 16-year-old friend, who was shot dead while banging pots and pans in an opposition-organised protest against the outcome of last month’s presidential election.

“Antonio was shot in the mouth, and the bullet went through the back of his head,” his uncle, Manuel Samuel, told the BBC.

“We saw CCTV footage from nearby shops of police shooting at protesters,” he added.

Antonio Juaqim’s killing is a tragic reminder of the volatile political climate in the southern African state since Frelimo – the former liberation movement in power since independence 49 years ago – was declared the winner of the poll.

The electoral commission said Frelimo’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, won with a whopping 71% of the vote, compared to the 20% of his closest rival, Venâncio Mondlane.

An evangelical pastor who contested the presidency as an independent after breaking away from the main opposition Renamo party, Mondlane rejected the declaration, alleging the poll was rigged.

This was denied by the electoral commission, but Mondlane – who fled the country, fearing arrest – has rallied his supporters via social media to protest against the result.

Every night at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT), people have been banging pots and pans in their homes, as they heed Mondlane’s call to send a loud message that they reject an extension of Frelimo’s 49-year rule.

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