The funeral of Antonio Juaqim, 16, who was shot and killed during anti-presidential rallies last month, has thrown Mozambique’s long-simmering problem into sharp relief.

Antonio was one of the victims slain on the first night of protests; according to Human Rights Watch, the police crackdown has claimed the lives of at least 40 people, including 10 children.

At Maputo’s São Francisco Xavier Cemetery, friends and relatives gathered, their sorrow pointing to the rising violence that has killed dozens of people, many of them youngsters.

Antonio’s uncle, Manuel Samuel, revealed CCTV evidence purportedly showing police shooting at protestors, saying, “Antonio was shot in the mouth and the bullet went through the back of his head.”

Daniel Chapo, Frelimo’s presidential candidate, was re-elected with 71% of the vote, which triggered the demonstrations.

Venâncio Mondlane, the leader of the opposition and recipient of 20% of the vote, has criticized the outcome and charged the electoral commission with fraud.

Mondlane, who left Mozambique out of fear of being arrested, has urged his followers to bang pots and pans every night as a form of protest.

The sound of protest has filled Maputo’s streets since November 15, but violence has ensued.

Mozambique’s police commander, Bernadino Raphael, expressed condolences for the victims’ families but criticized the opposition for using children as shields during protests.

He cited violence that resulted in the deaths of six cops and the destruction of countless properties, saying that “in many instances, police had no choice but to defend themselves.”

Human rights activists and opposition leaders, however, charge the police with using excessive force.

Albino Forquilha, the head of the Optimist Party, which supported Mondlane’s campaign for president, stated, “It seems like they are being used to protect the ruling party.”

An expert with the Institute for Security Studies named Borges Nhamirre says the disturbance is a reflection of a deeper frustration among young people in Mozambique.

“They don’t give a damn about who established independence. “The independence they desire is their financial independence,” Nhamirre stated, citing problems such as joblessness and opportunity gaps as major causes of discontent with Frelimo’s long-standing control.

In remembrance of a life lost, Antonio’s friends released colorful balloons and placed flowers on his grave during his funeral.

His uncle bemoaned, “They are killing us and our future.”

Friends of 20-year-old Alito Momad, who was also slain during protests, staged a vigil in another area while holding a picture of him that purportedly showed a bullet wound to the back of his head.

Many people are hoping that the courts will take up the opposition’s demands to void the election results as Mozambique enters one of its most volatile eras since embracing multi-party democracy thirty years ago.

The nation is still resounding with defiance and misery as a result of the nightly protests.