Regional leaders are pushing for dialogue to resolve Mozambique’s deadly post-election unrest as violence escalated in the aftermath of a ruling by the southern African country’s top court validating the outcome of the disputed October 2024 polls.

Mozambique descended into chaos after the opposition rejected the results of the October 9 polls, where ruling Frelimo party candidate Daniel Chapo was declared winner of the presidential vote.

Foreign and local observers said the presidential and parliamentary elections were marred by irregularities.

The main opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane has been leading protests that have paralysed the economy and led to the death of more than 150 people as well as the arrest of thousands of protesters.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are now pushing for a negotiated settlement to the electoral dispute, with Pretoria this week dispatching envoys to Mozambique to persuade the feuding parties to opt for dialogue.

On Tuesday, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, said the regional body was calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent dialogue.

“We are deeply concerned by the continued loss of lives, injuries, destruction of private property and public infrastructure,” President Samia said in a statement.

“The current situation has also caused significant economic challenges on the nation and disrupted cross border trade, and hindered the free movement of people. SADC calls upon all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that escalate violence and unrest.”

She said the regional body was ready to facilitate a peaceful resolution to “the existing challenges”.

“We, therefore, appeal for an immediate cessation of all hostilities, while reiterating the importance of prioritising the well-being and livelihoods of Mozambican people,” President Samia said.

“SADC stresses all parties to embrace peaceful and constructive dialogue as the preferred avenue to address grievances. Our collective aspiration remains the restoration of harmony and stability in Mozambique, in line with our shared vision of good governance, social cohesion, and sustainable development in the region.”

Outgoing Mozambican President Fillipe Nyusi on Monday met leaders of opposition parties to explore the dialogue option, but Mr Mondlane was conspicuously absent, as he is in exile.

The runner-up in the presidential election was forced to flee Mozambique after two of his aides were shot on the streets of Maputo by unknown assailants in the early days of the protests.

Podemos, the party that backed Mr Mondlane’s candidacy, Nova Democracia, Renamo and MDM, whose leaders met President Nyusi, insisted on their position to reject the outcome of the polls, but said they were open to dialogue.

The latest statements are a major climbdown from the hard-line stance by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and current SADC chairperson, who last week said the bloc expected the opposition to accept the ruling by the Mozambique Constitutional Council on the polls and move on.

Read: Mozambique’s Constitutional Council confirms Chapo’s poll win

“SADC stands ready to assist the incoming government and the people of Mozambique in consolidating their electoral democracy on the basis of the aforesaid court decision, which should be held sacrosanct by all,” President Mnangagwa said in the statement.

South Africa, which has been affected the most by the crisis, with trade disruptions and an influx of Mozambicans escaping the unrest, said it had “noted with concern the ongoing violence and subsequent disruptive protests in reaction to the announcement” by the court.

“South Africa calls on all parties to commit to an urgent dialogue that will heal the country and set it on a new political and development trajectory,” Pretoria said in a statement issued by the Department of International Relations.

“Furthermore, South Africa is ready to assist Mozambique in any manner to facilitate this dialogue. South Africa calls on all parties to exercise restraint and calm.”

Stephen Chan, a political analyst based in London, said South Africa’s calls for dialogue to end the conflict were more practical.

“(President) Mnangagwa’s statement is following a literalist reading of law and legal procedure,” Prof Chan said. “It ignores violence, almost as if washing hands off a crisis in democratic expectations.”

“By contrast, the South African offer of facilitation of dialogue is far more statesmanlike and caring for the affected people of Mozambique.”

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), which sent a delegation to Mozambique between December 16 and 18 to assess the situation, said the crisis in that country went beyond the recent disputed elections.

It urged President Mnangagwa to show leadership as SADC chairman by pushing for dialogue that would lead to a peaceful resolution of the political disputes.

“The (ZCC) delegation heard that the post-election demonstrations, which are mainly driven by youth and women, also point to issues beyond the current electoral process,” ZCC said in a statement.

“They point to underlying issues of high levels of cost of living and unemployment, lack of opportunities for young people and many other issues that are affecting the ordinary citizens.

“We call upon the government of Zimbabwe as the chairperson of SADC to use its influence in encouraging the government of Mozambique and all the political parties in Mozambique to come together and put the interests of the southern African region ahead.

“Mozambique is a key player (in the region), hence the continued political disturbances will have ripple effects on neighbouring countries, including Zimbabwe.”

The crisis in Mozambique, a country battered by unending civil wars and natural disasters over the years, has had ripple effects on its neighbours, especially those that are landlocked.

Countries such as South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi recently sounded the alarm as the unrest took a toll on their economies.

Read: Despite victory, Mozambique’s Chapo confronts polarised nation

Zimbabwean companies have also complained of logistical problems in transporting exports to Mozambique’s ports. Zambia, which is already facing significant electricity shortages due to a severe drought, said it lost 300 megawatts of imports from Mozambique “indefinitely “due to disruptions caused by the protests.

The country stopped generating electricity from its main hydropower station after water levels in Kariba Dam dropped drastically due to the drought.

Africa’s second-largest copper producer had turned to Mozambique to plug its electricity supply gap.

Eswatini said its sugar industry, a mainstay of the mountain kingdom’s economy, was struggling to export to the United States and European Union markets. The country’s sugar exporters depend on a terminal at the port of Maputo that is jointly owned by Eswatini, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

In Malawi, the disruption in the movement of cargo from Mozambique has hampered the transportation of fuel from the ports of Beira and Nacala.

The National Oil Company of Malawi said it had resorted to importing petroleum products through the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, which complicated its efforts to end a fuel shortage that has stretched for several months.

South Africa has, on several occasions, been forced to close the strategic Lebombo border post with Mozambique due to the violence.

The region’s biggest economy is said to be losing more than $500,000 due to restricted movement of imports and exports through the Mozambican ports.