KEY POINTS
- Gunmen killed a lawyer and a party official in Maputo.
- Opposition calls for protests after disputed election results.
- Concerns grow over election fraud and possible violence.
Gunmen killed a Mozambican opposition lawyer and a party official after firing multiple rounds at their car Saturday, raising tensions ahead of protests over a disputed election.
Deadly attack escalates tensions ahead of Mozambique protests
New opposition party Podemos and its presidential candidate, Venancio Mondlane, reject provisional results that show a likely win for the ruling Frelimo party and its candidate, Daniel Chapo. The party, which has governed Mozambique for 50 years, faces growing opposition. Podemos has called for a nationwide strike on Monday.
The Mozambican election observer group, More Integrity, said the attack occurred in the Bairro Da Coop neighbourhood of the capital, Maputo, killing Podemos lawyer Elvino Dias and party representative Paulo Guambe.
Observers raise concerns about election credibility and violence
Human Rights Watch and Mozambique’s Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) also confirmed the killings.
“They were brutally assassinated in cold blood,” Adriano Nuvunga, director of the CDD, told Reuters by phone. “Around 10 to 15 bullets were fired, and they died instantly,” he said, describing the attack as a “message” to opposition protesters planning to gather Monday.
The European Union and Mozambique’s former colonial ruler, Portugal, condemned the killings and called for an investigation.
Later on Saturday, Chapo condemned the attack, calling it an “affront to the principles of democracy that we must all defend.” Mondlane’s rise as Mozambique’s main challenger has posed a threat not only to Frelimo but also to Renamo. This former opposition party was once a rebel group backed by white minority regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the Cold War.
According to a report by Reuters, Alex Vines, Africa program director at London’s Chatham House, called the killings a “serious escalation” ahead of Monday’s planned strike. Western observers have doubts about the election’s credibility, citing reports of vote buying, intimidation, inflated voter rolls, and poor transparency — problems that have affected many Mozambican elections since Frelimo introduced democracy in 1994 after two decades in power.
Full election results are expected on Oct. 24, but there are concerns Monday’s protests could turn violent. Rights groups say Mozambique’s security forces have previously opened fire on protesters, including after last year’s local elections.
