Mozambique is bracing for heightened unrest as opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane has called for a fresh wave of nationwide protests from December 4-11.
Mondlane, who denounced the October 15 general elections as fraudulent, urged his supporters to enact a "total paralysis" of the nation, according to local publication Club of Mozambique.
This includes halting all vehicular movement between 08h00 and 15h30 daily, and nightly demonstrations from 21h00 to 22h00 involving noise-making with whistles and vuvuzelas.
Mondlane further advised (but did not order) the cancellation of all flights and the closing of airports, border posts and tollgates.
Airlink and LAM Mozambique Airlines confirmed with Travel News that none of their Mozambican operations had been affected by the protests to date.
Mondlane also pushed for nationwide shutdowns and the cancellation of festive events, including Christmas and New Year celebrations.
During an interview with BBC on Monday, December 2, he called for the protests to continue for "two to three months" to pressure the government into addressing the alleged electoral fraud.
The Constitutional Council, tasked with validating the election results, has yet to finalise its decision but hinted it must do so by December 23.
Since the protests began on October 21, at least 76 people have died and more than 3 000 have been arrested, according to local monitoring group, Platform Decide.
Security forces have responded with teargas, live ammunition and armoured vehicles, leading to several high-profile incidents, including the death of a woman struck by a military vehicle.
