A Mozambican opposition leader, Venancio Mondlane, says he narrowly escaped a murder attempt while he was a refugee in South Africa. Dive into the heart of this affair which is shaking the stability of the region…
An assassination attempt against a political opponent shakes Mozambique and questions the stability of the region. Venancio Mondlane, the main opponent of the regime in place, claims to have been targeted when he found refuge in South Africa following contested elections in his country. A chilling testimony that raises many questions.
An Opponent Tracked All the Way to South Africa
During a live video on social networks overnight from Sunday to Monday, Venancio Mondlane delivered a gripping story. The one who disputes the results of the Mozambican presidential election and claims victory explained that he narrowly escaped a murderous plot:
“When I was in South Africa, assassins were at my door wanting to kill me. I had to jump out the back door, run to a hair salon in the Sandton area, run with my bags and my family”
said Venancio Mondlane during his live broadcast.
A version of the facts that the South African authorities have not yet confirmed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP that it had “no knowledge of the presence of Mr. Mondlane in South Africa”, while calling on anyone with knowledge of a crime or attempt to report it to the police.
A Ballot Married with Irregularities
This alleged assassination attempt comes against a backdrop of high tensions in Mozambique. The general elections of October 9 saw the victory of the ruling party, Frelimo, at the head of the country for 49 years. But this election was marred by numerous irregularities according to international observers:
- Frelimo was credited with more than 70% of the votes despite suspicions of fraud
- The European Union observation mission noted “unjustified alterations of results”
- On a third of the counts observed, the figures “do not agree” according to the EU
For the anti-corruption NGO Public Integrity Center (CIP), these are even the “most fraudulent elections since 1999” in this poor southern African country, ranked among the bottom 10 in the world in terms of human development index according to the UN.
A Call for the “Liberation” of Mozambique
Faced with what he considers to be an electoral hold-up, Venancio Mondlane does not intend to stop there. After fleeing South Africa, the opponent reiterated his call for a seven-day strike, a “total paralysis” of the country to culminate in a massive march in the capital Maputo this Thursday, a day he announces as the one of the “liberation of Mozambique”.
But the protest is met with brutal repression. Since October, violence against demonstrators has left at least 11 dead according to several NGOs. This Monday, activities were still slow in the capital and several gatherings were dispersed by tear gas fire.
This assassination attempt, if proven, would mark a new level in the escalation of tensions. It underlines the fragility of the situation in this country ravaged by a long civil war. More than 30 years after the peace agreements, Mozambican democracy seems more threatened than ever. Will the opposition and civil society manage to make themselves heard in the face of a power that maintains itself by force? Mozambique's future is more uncertain than ever.
