Mozambique’s political landscape took a dramatic turn on Monday, October 21, as opposition leader Venancio Mondlane and his supporters were targeted with tear gas by police during a press event.
The incident comes amid rising unrest following the country’s contested October 9 presidential election and the killing of two senior opposition figures.
Mondlane, the main challenger to the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique party (Frelimo), had gathered with supporters in the capital, Maputo, near the location where his lawyer, Elvino Dias, and a senior opposition official, Paulo Gambe, were gunned down last Friday night. The two were shot in their car by unidentified attackers, an act that has been widely interpreted as politically motivated.
In a video posted to his Facebook page, Mondlane can be seen speaking to reporters when police suddenly fire tear gas in his direction. The footage shows Mondlane, his aides, supporters, and journalists scrambling to escape the gas. Local media reported that one journalist was injured during the commotion.
Earlier, Mondlane had called for a nationwide shutdown, urging Mozambicans to stay away from work in protest of what he described as fraudulent elections. He and his supporters had intended to protest near the site of the killings when police fired on them with tear gas.
As police cracked down on demonstrators throughout the day, tensions remained high. The ruling Frelimo party is expected to extend its nearly five-decade-long grip on power following Mozambique’s independence from Portugal in 1975. According to preliminary results, Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo holds a comfortable lead over Mondlane, who ran as an independent candidate but had the backing of the new opposition party, Podesa.
If Chapo wins, he will succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who is stepping down after serving two terms, the maximum allowed under Mozambique’s constitution.
Mondlane’s campaign has been rocked by the deaths of his close associates, which many believe are tied to their involvement in challenging the election results. His lawyer, Dias, had been preparing a legal case to bring before the country’s supreme electoral body when he was murdered. Podesa claimed the attack was carried out by gunmen in two vehicles who chased and ambushed the car carrying Dias and Gambe, spraying it with bullets.
The European Union, which had dispatched election observers to monitor the vote, called for a swift and thorough investigation into the murders, stating that “those responsible for this outrageous crime” must be brought to justice.
Frelimo has long been accused of election fraud, while the country’s security forces have faced harsh criticism for their heavy-handed tactics, often breaking up protests with force.
Mondlane told reporters that the police had attempted to block him from joining the protests, with officers stationed outside his home throughout the night. “They tried to stop me, but I found another way out,” Mondlane revealed. “I won’t say how, but they didn’t succeed.”
Tensions Soar After Opposition Killings
The deaths of Dias and Gambe have intensified an already volatile situation in Mozambique. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the killings and called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He also expressed concern over the post-election violence that has erupted across the country and urged all political actors to maintain peace while the official election results are finalized.
With Mozambique awaiting the final declaration from its Constitutional Council, international observers are watching the situation closely. The African Union had deployed a short-term election observer mission to the country. Mahamat reminded all political parties and their supporters to exercise “calm and utmost restraint” as the results were confirmed.
As such, the killings have cast a shadow over what was already a contentious election, with many Mozambicans skeptical of the process and concerned about the rising instability.
