According to Guterres, who was speaking in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, as part of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the expression of different opinions and positions must be respected and the authorities must ensure security for demonstrators.

“With regard to Mozambique, I call for calm. The expression of different opinions and positions must be done peacefully and the authorities must also have the necessary restraint to ensure that Mozambique’s problems are resolved, in peace and with respect for the functioning of institutions”, he said.

The Secretary General’s statement came two days after the UN Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights published a document in which it calls on the Mozambican government “to put an immediate end to the violence and repression of journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and protesters during demonstrations.”

The UN also condemned the intimidation and harassment against journalists, as well as the internet shutdown, claiming that “there is need to facilitate access to information for all.”

The protests against alleged election fraud are continuing. Mozambican cities experienced moments of noise in which demonstrators whistled, played musical instruments, and banged metal objects, especially pots, in order to protest.

According to the “Decide” Electoral Platform, a prominent Mozambican NGO, during the three days that marked the “first moment” of “phase four” of the national demonstrations (last Wednesday to Friday), 22 people were shot dead by the police in Maputo city and province, Nampula and Zambeza.

“During the same period, 23 people were shot and 80 arrested, most of them in Maputo and Zambézia. Among the people shot, 10 were in Nampula, three in Zambézia, three in Manica and seven in Maputo city and province”, says the organization.