MOZAMBICANS PROTEST HIGH COST OF LIVING

After a nearly month-long lull, protests returned to parts of Mozambique. Citizens took to the streets, angry at the high cost of living and the government's failure to provide essential services. The majority of the demonstrations took place in towns in the southern province of Gaza, where people blocked roads and torched the offices of a water-supply company. The main motorways linking the country to South Africa and Eswatini were also temporarily blocked.

A rise in the cost of basic food items such as rice, fish and cooking oil has triggered nationwide anger. The protests also come just weeks after the end of over two months of post-electoral violence, sparked by allegations of ballot fraud in the 9 October elections - won by Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo (Mozambique Liberation Front) party. According to civil-society organisations, more than 300 people were killed in that violence, mainly at the hands of the security forces. Since being sworn in on 15 January, Chapo has struggled to unite the nation, divided by post-election violence and a sluggish economy.