Gunmen in Mozambique killed an opposition lawyer and a party official on Saturday, firing multiple shots at their vehicle, according to rights organizations.
This incident escalates tensions ahead of planned protests against a contested election outcome.
The new opposition party, Podemos, and its presidential candidate, Venancio Mondlane, have rejected provisional results that indicate a likely victory for the ruling Frelimo party, which has held power for 50 years, and its candidate, Daniel Chapo.
In response, they have called for a nationwide strike on Monday.
The civil society election monitoring group More Integrity reported that the shooting took place in the Bairro Da Coop neighborhood of the capital, Maputo, resulting in the deaths of Podemos lawyer Elvino Dias and party representative Paulo Guambe.
Human Rights Watch and Mozambique’s Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) confirmed the attack as well.
“They were brutally murdered in cold blood,” said Adriano Nuvunga, director of the CDD, in a phone interview with Reuters.
He noted that around 10 to 15 shots were fired, and the victims died instantly, framing the attack as a warning to opposition protesters planning to gather on Monday.
There was no immediate response from a Frelimo spokesperson regarding the incident.
The European Union and Mozambique’s former colonial power, Portugal, condemned the killings and called for an investigation.
Mondlane’s emergence as a significant challenger to Frelimo poses a threat not only to the ruling party but also to the former official opposition, Renamo, which has a history as a rebel group supported by racist regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia during the Cold War.
Alex Vines, Africa program director at the London-based think tank Chatham House, described the murder as a “serious escalation” that heightens tensions ahead of Monday’s planned strike.
Western observers have raised concerns about the election’s credibility, citing reports of vote buying, intimidation, inflated voter rolls, and a lack of transparency in vote counting issues that have plagued elections in Mozambique since Frelimo introduced democracy in 1994 after two decades of authoritarian rule.
Full election results are expected on October 24, but many are anxious that Monday’s protests could become violent.
Rights groups have reported that Mozambique’s security forces have opened fire on protesters in previous demonstrations, including after last year’s local elections.
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