Mozambique might be facing an escalation of the unrest that has rocked the southern African country since the election of new President Daniel Chapo in October.

This Thursday (November 8), demonstrations organized by the opposition in the streets of the capital Maputo are set to culminate in a big rally. Observers fear increasing violence and riots.

Mozambican analyst Fredson Guilengue, who works for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in neighboring South Africa, said that due to the repressive nature of the country’s regime for many years, the use of violence seems to have become the only way to effectively engage with those in power.

"The regime is trying to use force to stop people from demonstrations. So far this has not worked, people are still on the street," he told DW. "I believe, the government will increase the violence just to stop the demonstrations."

Guilengue accuses the government of barely engaging with or even acknowledging the protestors, refusing to discuss the kind of change that many Mozambicans want to see. This could be a recipe for disaster since Mozambique is known for its disputed elections.

Since the first multi-party elections were held in 1994, each election result in Mozambique has been highly contested — not only by opposition figures but also by independent analysts.

Not a single result in 30 years has been seen as credible, Guilengue highlights, adding that recurring allegations of election fraud and the ruling party's continuing control over the elections as well as the judiciary only compound........

© Deutsche Welle