In a press conference, Police Chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 people were killed and 15 others injured in clashes with security forces.

He added that about 150 of those who escaped have been recaptured. Protests resumed on Monday, December 23, 2024, after the Supreme Court confirmed the victory of the FRELIMO party in the presidential elections held in October 2024.

The FRELIMO party has been in power for 49 years. Commander Rafael said that yesterday, Wednesday, December 25, 2024, groups of anti-government protesters approached the prison in the capital, Maputo. He said that prisoners took advantage of the unrest, broke down the prison wall, and escaped. 

Mozambique has been rocked by unrest and protests since October 2024, when disputed presidential elections were held. The results were announced and showed FRELIMO candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner, but his opponent claimed victory, ending the protests.

 Preliminary results announced in October showed Chapo winning 71% of the vote, while his main rival, Venâncio Mondlane, received 20%. But the court said Chapo won 65% of the vote, while Mondlane got 24%. 

The BBC reported that the protests on Christmas Eve left the city of Maputo almost deserted, with most businesses closed and people staying indoors to avoid the worst violence in the city since FRELIMO took power in 1975, when the southern African country gained independence. 

FRELIMO party offices, police stations, banks, and factories have been looted, destroyed, and even burned in various parts of the country. Since Monday, at least 21 people have been killed in the unrest, the Minister of Internal Affairs said on Tuesday evening, December 24, 2024. 

Mondlane, who has fled Mozambique, has been urging his supporters to continue protesting the results of the election, which he claims was rigged. In a message he posted on social media late last week, he warned that there could be “new civil unrest” if the election results were not respected. 

In total, 150 people have been killed in the three-month protests since the elections.