Tensions Rise in Mozambique as Police Fire Tear Gas at Politician

Police officers in Mozambique on Monday fired tear gas at the country’s leading opposition politician and his supporters while he was speaking with members of the press.

The politician, Venancio Mondlane, had challenged the ruling party in the country’s presidential election on October 9. On Monday, he was speaking with reporters in Mozambique’s capital of Maputo near the area where his lawyer and an opposition official were gunned down on Friday when officers fired tear gas in his direction, according to footage he shared on social media.

Mondlane, supporters and reporters can be seen running for cover as tear gas canisters land near them, according to the video. Local media reported that a member of the press was injured during the incident.

Mozambique has experienced rising tensions since the presidential election. Results indicate the decades-long ruling party—the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, or Frelimo—will emerge as victorious. Mondlane ran as an independent but was supported by the PODEMOS opposition party.

The final results of the election are anticipated to be entered this week, but early results indicate Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo will best Mondlane. However, PODEMOS and Mondlane have accused Frelimo of rigging the election, and outside observers have also questioned the credibility of the vote count.

Mondlane called on his supporters to not go to work on Monday as a protest against the election results. This strike comes days after Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and the spokesperson of PODEMOS, Paulo Guambe, were gunned down in their car by unidentified shooters on Friday.

Adriano Nuvunga, director of Mozambique’s Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), told Reuters by telephone that the two men “were brutally assassinated (in a) cold-blooded murder.”

The European Union also condemned the killings in a Saturday statement and said it was calling for “an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation that will bring to justice those responsible for this outrageous crime, provide clarity on the circumstances in which it occurred, and looks forward to reactions by the Mozambican Government.”

The statement also noted the European Union Election Observation Mission remains in Mozambique as it continues to assess the recent election.

Mondlane said that authorities had attempted to keep him from Monday’s protests.

“The whole of last night, police cars were at my doorstep,” he said to reporters. “I was trying to find other ways to leave the house without being noticed. I did. I won’t say how.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.