A member of former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane’s caravan was injured after police fired shots to disperse a crowd following a march in Maputo led by the Mozambican politician.
The incident happened at around 1 p.m. (two hours less in Lisbon) in the Hulene neighbourhood, along Julius Nyerere Avenue, when the caravan accompanying Venâncio Mondlane was heading towards Combatants’ Square from Youth Square in the Magoanine neighbourhood, in the suburbs of Maputo.
‘We were surprised when a group of heavily armed police started firing directly at the vehicle in which Venâncio Mondlane was travelling. There was tear gas, some explosives, real bullets, and we had to flee, because the scene was not pleasant,’ Abdul Nariz, from the former presidential candidate’s communications team, told Lusa.
A member of Mondlane’s entourage is among those injured during the shooting by the Mozambican police, said Abdul Nariz, without further details.
The Mozambican police have positioned themselves on all the main roads and avenues leading to the Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre, where the political agreement between the President of Mozambique and party formations will be signed today as part of the ongoing dialogue.
Mozambique’s president and the country’s main political parties will sign an agreement focused on state reforms, as part of the political dialogue to end the country’s post-election crisis.
The ceremony will take place at the Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre, starting at 15: 00 (two hours less in Lisbon), and in addition to the parties with parliamentary seats, including the one that supported Mondlane in the presidential elections, the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the agreement will also be signed by the extra-parliamentary New Democracy, in a dialogue that at the last meeting included party formations with representation in the provincial and municipal assemblies.
Although the Mozambican head of state has several times promised to ‘widen the dialogue table’ to ‘various segments of society’, one of the main criticisms raised by academics and analysts continues to be the absence of Venâncio Mondlane, the second most voted in the last elections according to the Constitutional Council and who is leading the biggest challenge to electoral results the country has seen since the first elections in 1994.
Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo said on 22 February that he would fight the post-election demonstrations and ensure the country’s independence and sovereignty.
‘Just as we are fighting terrorism and there are young people who are shedding blood for the territorial integrity of Mozambique, for the sovereignty of Mozambique, to maintain our independence, here in Cabo Delgado, even if it is to shed blood to defend this homeland against demonstrations, we will shed blood,’ said the Mozambican President.
Since October, Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of strong social unrest, with demonstrations and stoppages called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the election results of 9 October, which gave victory to Daniel Chapo.
The protests, now on a smaller scale, have been taking place in different parts of the country. In addition to contesting the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.
Since October, at least 353 people have died, including around two dozen minors, and around 3,500 have been injured during the protests, according to the electoral platform Decide, a non-governmental organisation that monitors electoral processes.
Mozambique’s government confirmed at least 80 deaths, as well as the destruction of 1,677 commercial establishments, 177 schools and 23 health centres during the demonstrations.
Lusa
