The funeral of 16-year-old Antonio Juaqim, who was fatally shot during protests against last month’s presidential election, has brought the simmering crisis in Mozambique into stark focus.
Antonio was among those killed during the first night of demonstrations, with Human Rights Watch reporting that at least 40 people, including 10 children, have died in the crackdown by police.
Friends and family gathered at São Francisco Xavier Cemetery in Maputo, their grief pointing to the escalating violence that has claimed dozens of lives, including many children.
“Antonio was shot in the mouth, and the bullet went through the back of his head,” said his uncle, Manuel Samuel, who described CCTV footage allegedly showing police firing at protesters.
The protests were sparked by the re-election of Frelimo’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, with 71% of the vote.
Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who secured 20% of the vote, has rejected the result, accusing the electoral commission of fraud.
Mondlane, who fled Mozambique fearing arrest, has called on his supporters to demonstrate nightly by banging pots and pans.
Since November 15, the streets of Maputo have echoed with the sound of protest, but violence has followed.
Mozambique’s police commander, Bernadino Raphael, expressed sympathy for the victims’ families but blamed the opposition for using children as shields during protests.
“In many instances, police had no choice but to defend themselves,” he said, citing violence that left six officers dead and numerous properties damaged.
However, opposition figures and human rights advocates accuse the police of excessive force.
“It feels as though they are being used to protect the ruling party,” said Albino Forquilha, leader of the Optimist Party, which backed Mondlane’s presidential bid.
The unrest reflects a deeper frustration among Mozambique’s youth, according to Borges Nhamirre, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies.
“They don’t care about who brought independence. The independence they want is their financial independence,” Nhamirre said, pointing to issues like unemployment and lack of opportunities as key drivers of dissatisfaction with Frelimo’s long-standing rule.
At Antonio’s funeral, his friends planted flowers on his grave and released colorful balloons, mourning a life cut short.
“They are killing us and our future,” his uncle lamented.
In another neighborhood, friends of 20-year-old Alito Momad, also killed during protests, held a vigil, displaying a photo showing what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
As Mozambique faces one of its most turbulent periods since adopting multi-party democracy 30 years ago, many hope the courts will address opposition calls to annul the election results.
Meanwhile, the nightly protests persist, echoing both despair and defiance across the nation.
