Mozambique police fire tear gas at protesters denouncing ‘rigged’ election

The African nation has been rocked by violence since its October 9 vote, won by the Frelimo party, which has been in power for almost 50 years. “The approach of the police has been to try to stop the demonstrations by using tear gas and other weapons, and they have used live gunfire over the last two weeks on several occasions,” said Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, reporting from Maputo, as burning roadblocks and smoke could be seen behind him. A police officer was also killed in a protest over the weekend, Defence Minister Cristovao Chume told reporters on Tuesday, warning the army could intervene “to protect the interests of the state”. The authorities have restricted internet access across the country, in what Human Rights Watch calls an effort to “suppress peaceful protests and public criticism of the government”. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has also warned against “unnecessary or disproportionate force”, saying police should “ensure that they manage protests in line with Mozambique’s international human rights obligations”.