– Police accuse civil society organisations and foreign nationals of funding mass protests
By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Leaders of civil society organisations have accused the government of attempting to silence them amid the post-election crisis. The accusations follow claims by a senior police official that these organisations are funding mass protests led by fugitive opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane.
Last Friday, senior officials from the ministries of Interior and Defence, including their respective ministers, held an emergency late-night meeting to discuss public order and security.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was announced that the street protests were being financed by civil society organisations and foreign nationals, who were warned not to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.
“These aggressive actions, called by the candidate Venâncio António Bila Mondlane, have been supported and funded by certain civil society organisations and individuals of bad faith, both national and foreign, with the aim of creating widespread chaos and subverting the constitutionally established order,” declared Fernando Tsucana, deputy commander-general of the Mozambican Republic Police (PRM), at the close of the meeting held in Maputo. But he did not name a single organisation or individual supposedly financing Mondlane.
The deputy commander also alleged the use of homemade explosives, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, during the protests, alongside acts of vandalism, looting of commercial establishments, destruction of public and private infrastructure, attacks on police stations and vehicles, and the killing of police officers and innocent civilians.
Reactions from Civil Society
Edson Cortez, director of the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), one of Mozambique’s most active civic organisations, believes that the police chief’s statements are part of a narrative designed to justify future crackdowns on civil society organisations, which have been outspoken in their criticism of the ruling elite’s misconduct.
“This is a narrative that aims to arrest and kill us,” said Cortez in an interview. “The main problem is that there was an election, people voted, and nearly two months later there are still no results,” he explained.
Cortez argues that the government and the ruling party’s stance on the protests demonstrates their inability to address the public outrage expressed in the streets.
“The police need to stop assuming we’re fools. Saying that people are out in the streets because they are being paid is nonsense. Poor people mobilise because they are living in dire conditions, which is not the case for the wealthy,” he asserted.
Cortez also stressed that the Mozambican government relies on donor aid to fund its projects, making it absurd to accuse civil society of receiving external funding from the same donors who are supporting government programmes.
“Vandalism is a consequence of the police’s brutal actions,” Cortez stated. “Are the university students who graduate and chant ‘Venâncio! Venancio!’ also being funded?” he questioned.
Distracting from Real Issues
Paula Monjane, director of the Civil Society Centre for Learning and Capacity Building (CESC), argues that blaming the protests on external support is a strategy to divert attention from the country’s real issues.
“The government wants to use this to distract the public, creating narratives to shift the focus away from what is happening,” Monjane remarked. “The people are demanding electoral justice. It is necessary to restore and uphold respect for state institutions,” she added.
Monjane acknowledged that some civil society groups provide support to victims of police brutality, but she stressed that this is not the same thing as funding protests. She also recalled that, a few years ago, the government accused civil society organisations of financing terrorism and attempted to impose draconian laws to control them.
“There is a continuous intention to silence and control civil society organisations. It is important that we do not allow ourselves to be distracted and that we always reject attempts to divert attention from the real issues,” she concluded.
The protests, called by Venâncio Mondlane, are challenging the preliminary election results, following Mondlane’s refusal to recognise the figures released by the National Elections Commission (CNE), which declared Frelimo’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, the winner with over 70% of the vote. (RD)
