Violence and Prison Break Lead to 248 Deaths in Mozambique -

A minimum of 248 people have died amid the escalating post-election turmoil in Mozambique, prompting a natural gas supplier to restrict shipments to South Africa and leading a Tesla Inc supplier to halt operations.

This week’s increase in fatalities followed a court’s affirmation of the ruling party’s success in the disputed October elections. Furthermore, over 1,500 prisoners escaped from a high-security facility near Maputo, the capital, on Wednesday, which resulted in 33 reported deaths, as per police accounts. By the end of the day, authorities stated that about 150 escapees had been recaptured.

Read: Closure of Tesla supplier signals increasing fallout from unrest in Mozambique

Protests ignited across the resource-abundant nation after opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane declared the election results fraudulent and called for peaceful protests. However, violence broke out, leading to significant looting and arson in Maputo and the neighboring city of Matola.

The unrest prompted South Africa’s Sasol Limited to reduce production at its facilities in Mozambique. Earlier in the month, Tesla supplier Syrah Resources declared force majeure at its graphite mining operations.

According to Gustavo Placido, an analyst at Horizon Engage in Lisbon, such demonstrations are expected to continue, particularly targeting crucial roads and mining operations.

However, he believes that the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front will maintain its grip on power, as its leadership navigates the opposition’s claims of a victory in the 9 October elections.

“This is a challenging negotiation. No one seems inclined to compromise,” Placido commented. “The nation is in turmoil, and investors are anxious.”

Sasol, which extracts natural gas and supplies it to South Africa for gasoline production, stated that it is reducing output “to protect the safety of our personnel and assets,” as mentioned in a statement released on Wednesday.

The company has informed its other gas clients that it is unable to provide full supplies.

Read:
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South32, which operates the largest aluminum smelter in the region near the Maputo port, announced earlier this month that it had decreased electricity supply to its facilities “to protect raw materials and ensure operational continuity.”

Syrah, which has been supplying battery materials to Tesla for testing ahead of anticipated commercial sales next year, declared force majeure at its Balama site.

In this week alone, at least 121 lives have been lost in the unrest, bringing the total death toll since protests began on 21 October to 248, as reported by Decide Platform, a local monitoring organization.

“Thick clouds of smoke from burning tires fill the sky, and both public and private property are damaged,” remarked the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Maputo in a statement on Wednesday. “The ground is stained with blood. The state is absent.”

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