A military vehicle ran over a woman in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, earlier this week, during ongoing protests following an election that the opposition claims was rigged.
Videos shared online show an armored vehicle driving through a wooden barricade used by protesters and hitting the woman. She sustained head injuries but is not in critical condition, director of the emergency department at Maputo central hospital was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Mozambique’s armed forces said they “accidentally ran over a citizen” and will cover her medical costs. The statement expressed regret and promised that the “incident will be rigorously investigated to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again.”
In a separate incident, police shot and killed two protesters in Nampula, a northern city. An activist said the incident occurred when a crowd confronted officers after blocking roads and burning tires.
The protests have been ongoing since the October 9 election, where Daniel Chapo of the Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since 1975, officially won with 70.7 per cent of the vote. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane has rejected the results and called for protests.
Rights groups report that police have suppressed the protests, resulting in dozens of deaths, including children.
Local monitoring group Plataforma Decide estimates at least 67 people were killed in the unrest between mid-October and mid-November.