According to Human Rights Watch, the weeks-long protests have led to violent clashes with the police leading to the death of at least 30 people.
The crisis followed the announcement of Daniel Chapo, the Frelimo candidate, as the winner of the Presidential elections.
The country’s Opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane described the presidential election as fraudulent and called for a nationwide protest after Chapo was declared the winner of the presidential election on October 24.
The BBC reports that the interior minister, Pascoal Ronda, while revealing the government’s position has announced that protests have now been “forbidden” because of their “severity”.
“I no longer call these protests, I call them acts of subversion and terrorism because they terrorise people and children. That woman selling bananas can no longer sell them. People can’t go to work; this is terror,” said Ronda.
A few days ago, businesses in Mozambique lamented that the protests had cost them millions in losses with most of their shops vandalized.
According to the president of the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), Agostinho Vuma, about 24.8 billion meticais (€354 million) have been lost during the 10 days of demonstrations and about 151 businesses vandalised.
Ronda has accused the protest organizers of using young people, allegedly under the influence of drugs, to destabilize the country.
Additionally, the minister is urging the public to cooperate with the authorities to stop the protests, which are being labeled as “acts of terrorism”
