Over 13,000 refugees have fled Mozambique to Malawi following violent protests triggered by disputed election results.
Amid escalating violence after Mozambique ’s elections, over 13 000 refugees have crossed into Malawi , sparking a humanitarian emergency. Pedestrians walk past a burning barricade in Maputo on December 24, 2024. (Photo by Amilton Neves / AFP) Thousands have fled Mozambique in the past week to neighbouring Malawi seeking refuge from the southern African nation’s deadly post-election protests, authorities told AFP.
Some 13,000 people have crossed over to Malawi since Monday, according to government sources, the day Mozambique’s top court confirmed the ruling party’s win in October’s vote. That result has been denounced as fraudulent by the opposition, and its rubber-stamping triggered an especially violent week of protests marred by incidents of vandalism and looting.Most of the arrivals crossed over into Malawi’s south, officials said, many of them fording over rivers to escape the unrest. Dominic Mwandira, commissioner for the southern border district of Nsanje, said that around 2,500 families had arrived so far, warning that the number could rise.“About 11,000 people crossed the Shire River to enter Malawi, while an additional 2,000 crossed the Ruo River,” said Mwandira. Several government ministries were put on alert and the asylum seekers were being housed across a number of temporary sites, he added. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from the United Nations refugee agency warned the situation had become an emergency.“Given the complexity of the situation, we have not yet verified the exact number of arrivals. Registration efforts began today, and we will have a clearer picture once this process is complete,” the official said. “We will then be able to assess how to direct them towards more permanent accommodation,” the UNHCR source added.Meanwhile the tiny Kingdom of Eswatini to Mozambique’s south saw an influx of more than 350 Mozambicans this week, foreign minister Pholile Shakantu sai
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