BREAKING: Mozambican police shoot at Mondlane’s caravan and injure a member of the entourage

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BREAKING: Mozambican police shoot at Mondlane’s caravan and injure a member of the entourage

4:07 CAT | 05 Mar 2025

File photo: Screengrab / Venâncio Mondlane Facebook Live

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 occurred at around 1 pm (two hours less in Lisbon) in the Hulene neighborhood, along Julius Nyerere Avenue, when the caravan accompanying Venâncio Mondlane was heading towards Praça dos Combatentes, leaving from Praça da Juventude, in the Magoanine neighborhood, in the suburbs of Maputo.

“We were surprised when a heavily armed police group started shooting directly at the vehicle where Venâncio Mondlane was. They used tear gas, some explosives, real bullets and we had to flee because the situation was not pleasant,” Abdul Nariz, from the former presidential candidate’s communications team, told Lusa.

A member of Mondlane’s entourage was among those injured in the shooting by Mozambican police, Abdul Nariz said, without giving further details.

The Mozambican police have positioned themselves on all the main roads and avenues that give access to the Joaquim Chissano Conference Center, the location where the political agreement between the President of Mozambique and party groups will be signed today as part of the ongoing dialogue.

The Mozambican President and the main political parties in Mozambique sign an agreement focused on state reforms, as part of the political dialogue to end the post-electoral crisis in the country.

The ceremony will take place at the Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre, starting at 3pm (two minutes less in Lisbon), and, in addition to the parties with seats in parliament, 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, in the last meeting, included party formations with representation in the provincial and municipal assemblies.

Although the Mozambican head of state has repeatedly promised to “broaden the table for dialogue” 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 candidate in the last elections according to the Constitutional Council and who is leading the biggest challenge to the electoral results that the country has seen since the first elections in 1994. The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, said on February 22 that he will combat 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 means shedding blood to defend this homeland against demonstrations, we will shed blood”, said the Mozambican President.

Mozambique has been experiencing a climate of strong social unrest since October, with demonstrations and strikes called by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the election results of October 9, which gave victory to Daniel Chapo.

Currently, protests, now on a small scale, have been taking place in different parts of the country and, in addition to contesting the results, people are complaining about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

Source: Lusa