Published on 06/11/2024
Rwandan Government says there are no Rwandan troops involved in controlling post-election violence, disputing claims that the country’s forces are involved in efforts to crackdown on demonstrators protesting recent election results.
Government Spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, on Sunday responded to a social media post that claimed that Rwandan armed forces were helping the Government of outgoing President Filipe Nyusi, to crackdown on opposition protestors backing presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who claims that the October 9 polls were rigged by the ruling party.
Protests rocked the capital Maputo and other regional cities after the country’s National Elections Commission (CNE), on October 24, confirmed Daniel Chapo, backed Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), on October 24, as the winner of the highly contested election, with 70.67 percent of the total votes.
Mondlane, contesting under the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique, came in second with 20.32 percent, but rejected the results and urged his supporters to protest. For the past 10 days or so, the Southern African country has seen an upsurge in protests since October 21.
Police have used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse protestors who say they are marching to Maputo, with a major protest scheduled for November 7. Rwanda dispelled allegations that her forces, who are based in the Northern Province of Cabo Delgado, are involved in efforts to quash opposition protests.
“This is a lie. There are no Rwandan troops in Maputo. Rwandan Security Forces are deployed strictly in Cabo Delgado province, in joint operations with Mozambican forces against extremist Islamist fighters that have been terrorizing residents in the province.”, Government Spokesperson Makolo, responded to a South African journalist who was urging the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) to intervene if the claims are true.
Rwandan forces have been credited for pacifying the northern most part of Mozambique since their deployment in 2021, pushing out Islamist groups, restoring order and security and at the same time allowing economic activities in the resource-rich province to resume.
Some reports indicate that anti-Rwandan groups operating in Southern Africa, are behind the campaign to incite the Mozambican people against Rwandan forces, who are highly revered for restoring order and security.
As of Monday, calm had returned in major parts of the country, but Mondlane continues to call for marches to reject the election results.
