Mozambique’s security forces carried out a brutal crackdown on protesters over a three-month period following last year’s elections, according to a new report by Amnesty International.

Citing local activists, the rights group alleges that more than 300 people were killed and over 3,000 injured during the unrest. Amnesty has called on Mozambican authorities to investigate these killings and all human rights violations, urging justice for those responsible.

The protests erupted after the October 9 presidential and parliamentary elections, which declared Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo party the winner amid widespread allegations of rigging and electoral fraud raised by opposition candidates and international observers.

Supporters of Venancio Mondlane, an independent candidate backed by the opposition Podemos party, led waves of demonstrations in the weeks following the vote.

Tensions escalated further after the killing of Mondlane’s lawyer and a Podemos official on October 18—shot dead while sitting in a car in Maputo. Mondlane accused these murders of being political assassinations and called for 25 days of protests—one for each bullet fired at his car. Fearing for his safety, he left Mozambique for two months but returned in January.

According to Amnesty, between October 21 and January 25, security forces used lethal force against largely peaceful protests, firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas at protesters and bystanders.

The civil society group Plataforma DECIDE reports that 315 people died during this period—numbers significantly higher than official figures. Police acknowledged 96 deaths, including 17 officers. Amnesty states that law enforcement unlawfully used firearms and less-lethal weapons, resulting in deaths and injuries among civilians.

The report is based on interviews with witnesses, victims, relatives, doctors, and lawyers. Other human rights groups have reported that at least 10 children were among those killed. Amnesty also documented mass arrests—more than 4,000 people detained arbitrarily—and evidence suggesting social media access was restricted during key moments of unrest.

In January, Chapo was sworn in as president; he later met with Mondlane in March to discuss investigations into protest-related deaths. The ruling Frelimo party has governed Mozambique since independence in 1975 and has frequently been accused of election rigging through manipulation of electoral processes. Observers from the European Union criticized last year’s vote for ballot stuffing and vote invalidation aimed at favoring Frelimo.

Mozambique’s political landscape remains deeply rooted in its history of civil conflict between Frelimo and Renamo—a rebel group turned opposition party after a ceasefire ended their 15-year civil war in 1992. The protests supporting Mondlane—the former Renamo member—represented one of the largest challenges to Frelimo’s longstanding rule.

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