Mozambique sustained losses amounting to 27.4 billion meticais (about $428 million) due to months of post‑election violence and vandalism, President Daniel Chapo said Thursday in his State of the Nation address.
Describing the unrest as a major blow to the country’s economy, infrastructure and social stability, Chapo told parliament that the wave of violent demonstrations between October 2024 and March 2025 left “deep marks on the social and economic fabric of the country.”
The riots destroyed 1,733 commercial establishments, including medical warehouses, factories, pharmacies, banks and humanitarian aid stores, he said.
Another 399 public buildings were damaged, among them schools, health facilities, courtrooms, police stations and political party offices.
Economic infrastructure was also targeted, with 176 electricity pylons, 59 mobile phone towers, 25 fuel pumps and 16 tollgates vandalised.
The unrest forced the closure of many businesses, resulting in the loss of about 50,000 jobs.
Chapo said resources intended for expanding water and electricity grids or improving schools and hospitals had to be diverted to repair damaged facilities.
“Hundreds of infrastructures still need to be rehabilitated and thousands of Mozambicans need to recover their lost jobs,” he noted, urging citizens to embrace reconstruction with “speed, pragmatism and resilience.”
The violence followed disputed elections in 2024, which opposition groups alleged were marred by fraud.
Protests quickly escalated into clashes with security forces, leaving hundreds dead, most of them civilians shot by police.
The turmoil compounded Mozambique’s challenges, pushing the 2024 state budget into an additional deficit of 130 billion meticais (about $2 billion) and deepening an economic recession.
JN/APA