Mozambique Elections: U.S., Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the UK call for “swift and thorough” investigation into double homicide

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Mozambique Elections: U.S., Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the UK call for “swift and thorough” investigation into double homicide

5:33 CAT | 19 Oct 2024

Image: O País

Five embassies in Maputo condemned this Saturday the double homicide of people close to presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, calling for a “swift and thorough” investigation into the crime.

“We, the U.S. Embassy, the High Commission of Canada, the Embassy of Norway, the Embassy of Switzerland, the High Commission of the United Kingdom, as part of the international community, join Mozambicans in condemning the killing of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe and extending our heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones,” reads a note published this afternoon by the US diplomatic representation in Maputo.

The Mozambican police confirmed today that the vehicle in which Elvino Dias, lawyer for presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, party agent [mandatário] of Podemos,, the party that supports Mondlane’s candidacy, were travelling, were shot dead, and a third occupant was injured.

“They were approached and blocked by two light vehicles from which individuals disembarked, armed with firearms, and fired several shots that caused injuries and the death of the individuals identified above,” Leonel Muchina, spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in the city of Maputo, told Lusa.

“We strongly condemn any act of political violence and call for a swift and thorough investigation,” reads the statement from the five diplomatic representations in Maputo. “We urge all citizens, political leaders, state institutions and interested parties to resolve electoral disputes peacefully and legally, rejecting violence and inflammatory rhetoric.” the statement adds.

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The crime took place at around 11:20 pm local time on Friday, on Avenida Joaquim Chissano, in the city centre, and according to the police, another occupant, a woman who was travelling in the back seat of the vehicle, was also shot and taken to Maputo Central Hospital.

“She was taken to hospital, her life is not in any danger, she was only injured in the upper limbs”, Muchina said.

Videos of the two victims and the vehicle apparently hit by more than two dozen bullets circulated throughout Mozambique throughout the early hours of the morning.

Lawyer Elvino Dias, a well-known defender of human rights cases in Mozambique, was the legal advisor to Venâncio Mondlane and the Democratic Alliance Coalition (CAD), a political group that initially supported that candidate for President of the Republic of Mozambique, until its registration for the general elections on 9 October was rejected by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).

Venâncio Mondlane would later be supported in his candidacy by the Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos) party, whose national representative for the legislative and provincial lists, Paulo Guambe, was also travelling in the vehicle targeted in the crime.

The general elections of 9 October included the seventh presidential elections – in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the limit of two terms, has no longer run – simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth elections for provincial assemblies and governors.

The CNE has 15 days, after the polls close, to announce the official results of the elections, which is due on 24 October. The Constitutional Council will then be responsible for proclaiming the results, after it has also concluded its analysis of any appeals, but there is no set deadline for this purpose.

The district and provincial election commissions have already completed the vote count for the general elections of October 9, which according to public announcements give an advantage to the Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo, the ruling party) and the presidential candidate supported by the party, Daniel Chapo, with more than 60% of the votes, although presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane disputes these results, claiming that he uses data from the original voting minutes and notices, which he has collected throughout the country.

Venâncio Mondlane assured on Thursday, in Beira, central Mozambique, that after the announcement of the results of the general elections he will appeal to the Constitutional Council, with the original voting minutes and notices.

The Portuguese Government and the European Union have also condemned these murders.

We, the U.S. Embassy, the High Commission of Canada, the Embassy of Norway, the Embassy of Switzerland, the High Commission of the United Kingdom, as part of the international community, join Mozambicans in condemning the killing of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe and extending our… pic.twitter.com/l1bZ5WXgSd

— Embaixada dos EUA em Moçambique (@USEmbassyMoz) October 19, 2024

Nós, o Alto Comissariado do Canadá, a Embaixada dos EUA, a Embaixada da Noruega, a Embaixada da Suíça, e o Alto Comissariado do Reino Unido, juntamo-nos aos moçambicanos na condenação do assassinato de Elvino Dias e Paulo Guambe… pic.twitter.com/Or7LgPloyD

— Canada in Mozambique, Angola, and Eswatini (@CanHCMozambique) October 19, 2024