The government said on Tuesday, 22 October, that the police authorities are continuing their investigation into the murder of Elvino Dias, a lawyer for presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, a member of the extra-parliamentary party Povo Optimista para o Desenvolvimento de Moçambique (Podemos).
Following the 30th session of the Council of Ministers in Maputo, government spokesman Filimão Suaze assured that all legal measures are being taken to shed light on the crime, emphasising that the investigation report will be presented in due course.
‘More pronouncements will be made as the main facts unfold, according to the investigations that have been carried out by specialised institutions,’ he stressed.
On Saturday, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda condemned the murder and ordered the police and the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) to quickly clarify the case so that the killers ‘can be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes’.
He appealed for the co-operation of ‘anyone who may have relevant information, but avoid disinformation’.
In the early hours of Saturday 19 October, Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe were brutally murdered with 25 shots inside a car in Maputo city, nine days after the country’s general elections. The crime took place on Avenida Joaquim Chissano.
The double murder rekindled memories of political violence, such as the death of activist Anastácio Matavel, murdered in 2019 in similar circumstances. The death of the two lawyers has increased the climate of political instability in Mozambique, exacerbating uncertainty.
Lawyer Elvino Dias, a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambican, was a legal advisor to Venâncio Mondlane and the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD), the political grouping that initially supported that candidate for Mozambican President, until his registration for the 9 October general elections was rejected by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).
In addition to Venâncio Mondlane and Daniel Chapo, Ossufo Momade, supported by Renamo, and Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM, the third largest party), ran for the presidency of the Republic.
The Portuguese government, the European Union, high-level African organisations and the diplomatic representations in Maputo of the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have all condemned these actions and called for a full and swift investigation.
