Mozambique’s capital was tense Wednesday ahead of a “freedom” march called by the opposition leader following weeks of protests against election results that have left at least 18 people dead.Shops and banks in Maputo closed early and the streets were emptier than usual, while police and military vehicles were stationed at various points, AFP reporters said.The southern African country has been locked in a political crisis since the election authority announced that the Frelimo party, in government for nearly 50 years, won the October 9 ballot.Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who said the vote was fraudulent and that he won, has called his supporters onto the streets of Maputo on Thursday for what he called “our freedom day”.Mondlane, who is in hiding, said he would be present too. “Pretty soon all the protesting groups, in the neighbourhoods, should be with me downtown,” he said in a post on social media Wednesday.Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that security forces have killed at least 18 protesters since the election.Local rights group the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) said 24 people had died in police violence against demonstrators.A police officer was killed in a protest at the weekend, Defence Minister Cristovao Chume told reporters Tuesday, warning the army could intervene if the protests escalated. “There is an intention to change the democratically established power,” he said.”If the escalation of violence continues, the armed forces will have to protect the interests of the state.”Amnesty International Wednesday urged the government to “halt its violent and widespread crackdown on human rights and respect everyone’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association”.”The last two weeks in Mozambique have been marked by completely unnecessary bloodshed as authorities have tried to stop a peaceful protest movement with deadly force,” said Khanyo Farise, deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa.The governments of Britain, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United States called in a joint statement for restraint.”At this critical moment, we call on all entities to show restraint while respecting the rule of law and human life,” they said in a joint statement Wednesday. One of the busiest border crossings between South Africa and Mozambique was still closed Wednesday a day after being shut following reports of violence, the South African border agency said.
