LILONGWE, Malawi

Thousands of Mozambicans have fled ongoing violence in their country to neighboring Malawi after months of unrest over disputed presidential election results, government officials told Anadolu on Thursday.

Dominic Mwandira, a senior civil official in Malawi's Nsanje district, which borders Mozambique, said some 2,000 households have entered the territory since Monday.

“They are coming as families and we have, so far, sheltered them in schools waiting for proper arrangements. The number is likely to rise,” Mwandira told Anadolu over the phone.

Violent protests have rocked Mozambique since presidential polls were held on Oct. 9, resulting in the death of 248 people, including 33 in a prison break on Wednesday, according to Plataforma Decide, an election monitoring group.

More than 1,500 inmates fled Maputo Central Prison in Matola, located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the capital Maputo, where police reported the casualties.

Protests started in late October after Daniel Chapo of the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) was declared the winner of the presidential polls, defeating main opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who is in exile.

Mondlane has rejected the results, claiming widespread vote rigging and calling on his supporters to protest. He has vowed to install himself as president on Jan. 15.

The months-long protests and recent attacks on gas stations by protesters have resulted in fuel shortages in Mozambique’s capital Maputo and the city of Matola.