New protests erupt in Mozambique after police vehicle mows demonstrator: Video
Anti-government protests have escalated in Mozambique following a disturbing incident in the capital, Maputo, where a police vehicle struck and critically injured a woman at a demonstration.
The protests were sparked by opposition leader Venancio Mondlane's dispute over the results of October's elections.
Eyewitnesses describe the horrifying scene, with protester Abubacar Ayuba Niavia from Nampula recounting how the woman was hit by the police vehicle. "She was hit really badly, critically. Her arm was broken, her leg was broken, and her face was badly scraped and bleeding. She couldn’t speak," he told the AFP.
Niavia, along with other protesters, carried the injured woman to seek help but was met with a lack of support from the authorities. "The military was watching, but no vehicles came to assist," he added. A TV crew later arrived and transported the woman to a hospital, but her condition remains unknown.
Pomade Claudio Amisse, a businessman from Angoche and the victim's partner, also expressed concern over her fate. "We don't know if she will survive. We took her to the hospital, but we don’t have any updates on her condition," he said.
Amisse also raised questions about the involvement of foreign soldiers in the incident, referring to rumors of Rwandan troops operating in the country. "We don’t know if the soldier was Mozambican or foreign, but the way he acted—he didn’t seem like one of ours," he remarked.
Since the post-election protests began, over 66 persons have been injured, while 34 deaths have been recorded, Mozambique's Centre for Democracy and Human Rights has noted. Most of the victims were between 25 and 35 years old, with others as young as 15.
