Maputo, Feb. 18, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique's government said on Tuesday that the measures it is implementing to reduce the cost of living in the country will be useless if the demonstrations and the destruction of infrastructure continue.
"As long as the demonstrations continue, even with the reduction in the cost of living, things will get even more difficult," said Inocêncio Impissa, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, after a session of the body in Maputo.
Since October, Mozambique has experienced severe social unrest. Former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the 9 October election results that gave victory to Daniel Chapo, supported by Frelimo, has called for demonstrations and stoppages.
The protests, now on a smaller scale, have taken place independently in different parts of the country. In addition to contesting the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.
"Blocking the roads and the economy won't help reduce the cost of living (...) Hunger and problems exist, but the solutions also depend on the environment that society creates (...) Unfortunately, this model [demonstrations] won't help at all," stressed the spokesman for the Mozambican government.
On Sunday, the president acknowledged the possibility of removing Value Added Tax (VAT) on necessities and intervening to reduce fuel prices to alleviate the cost of living.
"We are working to find various solutions, and one of them is to take the products in the basic basket of the Mozambican people and work to see the possibility of removing VAT, which is what makes the products in the basic basket more expensive," said Daniel Chapo, at a press conference in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, taking stock of his first participation in the 38th African Union (AU) summit.
Since October, at least 327 people have died, including around two dozen minors, and around 750 have been shot during clashes between police and protesters, according to the Decide electoral platform, a non-governmental organisation that monitors electoral processes.
On 30 December, the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) of Mozambique estimated to Lusa that more than 500 businesses were vandalised during the post-election demonstrations. At least 12,000 people are now without jobs.
EAC/ADB // ADB.
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