MAPUTO, Mozambique — Authorities in Mozambique used tear gas against the prominent opposition leader and his supporters on Monday while he was addressing the media, prompting a chaotic scene as they sought shelter. This incident unfolded in the context of heightened tensions in the wake of a contentious election and the murder of two key opposition figures.
Venancio Mondlane, who emerged as the primary challenger to the ruling party in the presidential election held on October 9, was conducting interviews on a roadway in the capital, Maputo, not far from where his lawyer and a senior official from the opposition party were fatally shot by unknown assailants on Friday night.
Videos shared on his Facebook page depict Mondlane, along with aides and journalists, fleeing as police directed tear gas towards them, accompanied by local media reports of injuries among journalists present at the scene.
Prior to this incident, Mondlane had called for a nationwide strike and encouraged citizens to refrain from work as a demonstration against what he and other parties labeled fraudulent electoral practices. He had also planned to gather near the location of the violent attacks to express their dissent. Earlier that day, police had already deployed tear gas against protestors.
The recent election is anticipated to enable the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique party, or Frelimo, to extend its nearly five-decade control since the nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Although final results are still pending, initial figures suggest that Frelimo’s candidate, Daniel Chapo, is significantly ahead of Mondlane, who ran as an independent with backing from the newly formed Podesa opposition party. If Chapo secures victory, he would take over from President Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the maximum two-term limit.
The assassinations of opposition figures have exacerbated the already strained atmosphere following the elections. The Podesa party reported that gunmen pursued Mondlane’s lawyer and a leading spokesperson, firing at their vehicle. Such actions are largely perceived in Mozambique as politically motivated. The assassinated lawyer, Elvino Dias, played a pivotal role in preparing to contest the electoral outcomes at the country’s supreme electoral authority.
The European Union, which had dispatched election monitors to the country, has urged an urgent inquiry into these murders to ensure accountability for those responsible for what it deemed an appalling crime. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the killings.
Frelimo has faced widespread allegations of election manipulation, charges the party has consistently rejected. Additionally, Mozambique’s security forces have been criticized for their heavy-handed approach to opposition and for violently dispersing peaceful protests.
Mondlane disclosed to reporters that law enforcement made efforts to confine him to his home, seeking to obstruct his participation in the protests. “The whole of last night, police vehicles were stationed at my doorstep,” he recounted. “I was attempting to find alternative ways to exit discreetly. I did manage to do so without revealing how.”