The lawyer for a prominent opposition figure in Mozambique was shot dead in the capital, Maputo, along with a fellow official from the same political party. Elvino Dias served as the attorney for Venâncio Mondlane, who had recently run for president representing the Podemos party in an election held just 10 days prior.
Dias was killed alongside Paulo Guambe when gunmen attacked their vehicle. Local rights group the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) described the incident as a “cold-blooded murder,” stating, “They were brutally assassinated.” The group’s director, Adriano Nuvunga, indicated that approximately 10 to 15 bullets were fired, resulting in instant fatalities.
The Mais Integridade election watchdog expressed concerns that the killings aimed to intimidate anyone advocating for transparency in the electoral process. Witnesses reported that while Dias died on the spot, Guambe succumbed to his injuries hours later. Allegations arose that police obstructed an ambulance that had arrived to assist Guambe, preventing his evacuation.
Additionally, witnesses claimed that police engaged in censorship and intimidation, obstructing them from documenting the violent scene and confiscating several phones. In response to the allegations, police denied any wrongdoing, asserting their commitment to preventing vandalism, violence, or public disorder in the coming days. “Naturally, we condemn the heinous crime and assure that we are taking all measures to clarify the case,” police spokesman Lionel Muchina said on Saturday.
Tributes have been paid to Dias, described by the Carta de Moçambique news site as a “shrewd lawyer, intrepid, with the tough fibre of a fighter”.
“Elvino was a good, peaceful man,” said Zenaido Machado, of Human Rights Watch.
“Last year, during local elections, he led several elections court cases against the election commission, and he won. This year, he was preparing to do it again.”
Election votes are still being counted in Mozambique. Mondlane says he has won, and disputes claims by the establishment Frelimo party that they are in the lead. He has called for a nationwide strike on Monday.
The European Union, whose observer mission is in Mozambique monitoring the electoral process, called the killings an outrageous crime and urged the government to conduct an independent investigation.
The European bloc said these events followed “worrying reports about violent dispersion of supporters in the aftermath of last week’s election”.
Western observers have cast doubt on the credibility of the election.
Vote-buying, inflated voter rolls in Frelimo strongholds, and voter intimidation have been reported by the US-based International Republican Institute, which sent a multinational election observer mission to Mozambique.
Mozambique has only ever been governed by one party – Frelimo – which has ruled the southern African nation for half a century since independence from Portugal.
The country is guaranteed a new president because President Filipe Nyusi is stepping down after serving the two-term limit.
His successor, the leader of Frelimo, is 47-year-old Daniel Chapo.
His rivals in this election are Mondlane of Podemos, Ossufo Momade, the former rebel commander-turned-leader of the main opposition party Renamo, and Lutero Simango from the Mozambique Democratic Movement.
A civil war between the Frelimo government, with support from Cuba and the USSR, and the anti-communist Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) rebels took place from 1977 to 1992.
The conflict resulted in more than a million people dying in the fighting and in subsequent famines.
Renamo remains Mozambique’s largest opposition party, and was the springboard for Mondlane’s political career before he defected to the newly formed Podemos earlier this year.
Mozambique is rich in natural resources including rubies and gas, but is also struggling with an Islamist insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where soldiers from dozens of countries have been deployed to help.
