Brussels, Feb. 7, 2025 (Lusa) - The president of the European Council, Portugal's António Costa, assured Mozambican president Daniel Chapo on Friday that the European Union (EU) will continue to "work closely with Mozambique" to stabilise the situation in Cabo Delgado and support reforms.

In a post on the social network X, António Costa said he had a phone call today with Daniel Chapo, to whom he assured that "the EU will continue to work closely with Mozambique to help stabilise the security situation in Cabo Delgado and implement the governance reforms underway".

In the message, António Costa said that he had also praised "[Daniel Chapo's] commitment to internal political dialogue".

Mozambique has been experiencing intense social unrest since October, with demonstrations and stoppages first called by Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the election results that gave victory to Daniel Chapo, the Frelimo-backed candidate.

Today, small-scale protests are taking place in different parts of the country and, as well as contesting the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

Since October, at least 327 people have died, including around two dozen minors, and around 750 have been shot during the protests, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organisation that monitors electoral processes.

ANE/AYLS // AYLS

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