MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambican authorities threatened to send troops to quell the incident post-election protests Crises gripped the country after the opposition rejected the poll results that extended the ruling Frelimo party’s 49-year rule.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest since the presidential election election results announced While Frelimo declared its candidate Daniel Chapo the clear winner on October 24, the opposition is planning the largest protests in the capital Maputo on Thursday.

At least 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured and arrested since the start of the protests, human rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday. He described the government’s response as the country’s worst crackdown on protests in years.

It was also claimed that the government had repeatedly cut off internet access across the country and blocked media sites since last Friday.

The country’s defense minister, Cristóvão Chume, has threatened to deploy military force to suppress ongoing post-election protests, saying they are attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government.

“If the escalation of violence continues, the armed forces will replace the police on the ground to protect the interests of the state,” Chume said in a statement on Tuesday. he said.

The South African government said on Wednesday it closed the side of the Lebombo border it shares with Mozambique after receiving reports of vehicles being burned on the Mozambican side.

“Due to these security incidents and in the interest of public safety, the port has been temporarily closed until further notice. “This decision was taken to ensure the safety of all cross-border shippers, travellers, traders and officials operating in the port,” he said.

Residents of the border town of Ressano Garcia, which connects Mozambique and South Africa, looted trucks and set up roadblocks to stop vehicle traffic late Tuesday. A truck was set on fire. According to local media reports, police used tear gas to stop the looting.

Police cleared barricades in several Maputo neighborhoods on Wednesday ahead of a massive protest called by election runner-up Venancio Mondlane, who won 20 percent of the national vote. Mondlane alleged widespread election fraud in favor of Frelimo.

Mondlane reportedly fled the country this week and his whereabouts remain unclear.

Doctors and other health care workers also staged a demonstration this week regarding the impact of the ongoing protests on civilians and medical facilities.

“Unfortunately, in some health units, there are services that no longer function, especially outpatient treatment and consultation. Unfortunately, even some vaccines for children are very important,” said Napoleão Viola, president of the Mozambican Medical Association.

The organization estimated that approximately 108 people injured in the protests were treated.

“The last two weeks in Mozambique have been marked by completely unnecessary bloodshed as authorities attempted to stop a peaceful protest movement using lethal force,” said Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for eastern and southern Africa. “The death toll rises daily as authorities deploy weapons of war, including rifles and armored vehicles, on the city’s streets. “People can’t even protest in their own homes without risking exposure to police tear gas.”

Frelimo is frequently accused of rigging elections, which the party has consistently denied.

The European Union’s observer mission expressed concern shortly after the elections, saying monitoring of the count was prevented in some regions and “unfair manipulation” of the results at some polling stations.