Thousands of people have fled Mozambique for neighboring Malawi in the past week, officials said.
The exodus follows unrest after Mozambique’s top court confirmed the victory of the ruling Frelimo party in October elections.
What do we know about Mozambicans fleeing Malawi?
Dominic Mwandira, commissioner of Nsanje, Malawi’s southern border district, said about 2,500 families had arrived so far.
“About 11,000 people crossed the Shire River to enter Malawi, while an additional 2,000 crossed the Ruo River,” he said, according to news agency AFP.
He said several government ministries had been put on alert and asylum seekers had taken shelter at several temporary sites.
“The situation remains critical as these individuals are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance,” Mvandira said in a letter seen by Reuters news agency.
What do we know about violence in Mozambique?
Major cities of Mozambique came to a standstill on Friday due to post-election violence in the southern African country.
Transportation was halted and many businesses closed amid widespread looting and vandalism.
Mozambique’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said at least 150 business establishments were vandalized during post-election protests.
On Wednesday, more than 1,500 prisoners escaped from a prison in the capital Maputo after a riot that left dozens dead.
At least 134 people have been killed in the unrest since Monday, according to the Platform Decide election monitoring group.
The opposition claims the elections were rigged
On Monday, Mozambique’s Constitutional Council declared FRELIMO candidate Daniel Chapo the winner of the October 9 presidential election with almost 65% of the vote. Opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane was said to have received 24% of the vote.
After this, Mondlane’s supporters took to the streets and clashed with the police.
Opposition parties and international observers alleged that the election was not free or fair.
sdi/dj (AFP, Reuters, Lusa)
