Zimbabwe is hosting an extraordinary high-level summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) this weekend (16-20 Nov.) to address escalating post-election violence in Mozambique amid widespread allegations of vote rigging and political interference by the ruling FRELIMO party.
The heads of states and governments have gathered in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare to try to resolve Mozambique’s political and security crisis alongside other regional challenges, such as the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), whose mandate expires soon. “The region is worried and disturbed by what is happening in Mozambique,” said a source in the Zimbabwean foreign ministry who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Heads of state will deliberate on concrete solutions to resolve the escalating violence and political stalemate.”
The post-election political crisis is still unfolding in Mozambique, with the opposition planning more protests in the coming days. Violence and protests have continued to rock the southern African nation for weeks after the disputed elections on 9 October. The ruling Frelimo party has been accused of rigging the presidential election to extend its 49 years in power. The opposition has rejected the results, denouncing them as fraudulent and calling for nationwide protests to demand fresh polls. “The situation in Mozambique gets worse every day as the death toll spirals, yet the SADC remains shockingly silent,” Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, says. Therefore, the opposition groups in Mozambique are said to have very little trust in the regional bloc to be honest brokers, suspecting that South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe may decide to simply rubber-stamp Frelimo’s election victory.