6,000 Inmates Escape From Mozambique Prison Amid Post-Election Protests

A Mozambican police officer stands by as protesters burn tyres during a demonstration against the government in Maputo, on Dec. 6, 2024. Amilton Neves/AFP via Getty Images

At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital city of Maputo on Dec. 25, the country’s police chief, Bernardino Rafael, said, as riots and violence continue to plague the nation following October’s disputed presidential election.

About 33 inmates died, and 15 others were injured during the Christmas Day clash with security forces at Maputo’s central prison, located 14km southwest of the city, Rafael told a media briefing.

He did not identify those who were killed or injured during the confrontation.

Rafael said some of the prisoners were able to escape the facility after being freed by other detainees who used weapons stolen from guards. Some prisoners were freed when protests led to a wall collapsing, he said.

A total of 29 convicted terrorists are among those who escaped, he said.

“We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” Rafael said.

He urged the escaped inmates to surrender to authorities and called on the public to remain vigilant and informed about the fugitives.

Mass riots broke out across Mozambique on Dec. 23 after the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Council, said that Daniel Chapo and his ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) party won the Oct. 9 presidential election.

In its ruling, the court, which has the final say over the electoral process, said irregularities in the election “did not substantially influence the results.”

Frelimo—which has ruled the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975—won with 65.17 percent of the vote, the court found, after revising initial results suggesting Chapo received 70 percent of the vote.

Opposition candidate Venâncio Mondlane, an independent, received 24.29 percent of the vote, the court said.

Mondlane challenged the election results, alleging the vote was rigged. Western nations also raised concerns over what they said were irregularities in the tabulation process and a lack of transparency during the election period.

Election ‘Irregularities’

In a statement, issued one day after the court’s ruling, the European Union, which sent an Election Observation Mission to monitor the electoral process in the Southeast African nation, said it had noted “irregularities during [the] counting of votes and unjustified alteration of election results.”

The European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service, said the mission had called on the electoral bodies to ensure there is maximum transparency in the counting and tabulation process and said the EU remains available to support Mozambique on the reform of the electoral system.

“The EU is extremely concerned by the post-election violence and deplores the considerable loss of lives that occurred so far,” the EEAS said in a Dec. 24 statement. “We urge all sides to maintain restraint and refrain from any action that may further exacerbate tensions.”

A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed he is following developments in Mozambique closely.

“The Secretary-General is concerned about the post-election violence, which has resulted in loss of lives, and the destruction of public and private property,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He urges all political leaders and relevant national stakeholders to defuse tensions including through meaningful dialogue, legal redress, refrain from the use of violence and redouble efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis, in a constructive manner, which is essential to the collective future of Mozambicans.”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.