Thousands flee post-election violence in Mozambique to Malawi

Government sources said around 13,000 people have moved to Malawi since Monday, when Mozambique’s top court confirmed the ruling party’s victory in October’s vote.

That result was denounced as fraudulent by the opposition, and its endorsement sparked a particularly violent week of protests marred by vandalism and looting.

Most arrivals continued across the border into southern Malawi, officials said. Many of them crossed rivers to escape the unrest.

Nsanje Southern Border District Commissioner Dominic Mwandira said around 2,500 families had arrived so far and warned the number could rise.

“About 11,000 people crossed the Shire River to enter Malawi, while another 2,000 crossed the Ruo River,” Mwandira said.

Several ministries have been put on alert and the asylum seekers have been accommodated in several temporary shelters, he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a United Nations refugee agency official warned that the situation had become an emergency.

“Given the complexity of the situation, we have not yet verified the exact number of arrivals. The registration efforts have started today and we will have a clearer picture once this process is completed,” the official said.

“We will then be able to assess how we can provide them with more permanent accommodation,” the UNHCR source added.

Meanwhile, the tiny kingdom of Eswatini in southern Mozambique saw an influx of more than 350 Mozambicans this week, Foreign Minister Pholile Shakantu said.

This brings the total number of Mozambican arrivals since anti-election protests began in October to 500, she added.

“Our hands are open as a country… We would like to reassure and reaffirm our commitment as a country to help our Mozambican neighbors,” Shakantu said.

According to local NGO Plataforma Decide, at least 261 people were killed in unrest following the October 9 vote.

Some 134 of them have been killed since the top court on Monday confirmed the victory of the Frelimo party, which has been in power since independence from Portugal five decades ago.

International observers have pointed to voting irregularities in the disputed presidential election.