This morning, Mozambican government security forces launched an attack on opposition presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane while he was holding a press briefing with local and international journalists, reports Zimbabwean investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono.
Activists and members of the public who were present at the press briefing ran in different directions, fearing for their lives.
Mozambique recently held general elections, where the opposition leader claimed victory and stated that the ruling Frelimo party had rigged the election.
He ordered a shutdown today, and the streets of Maputo are empty, save for the media and a few people.
Two prominent opposition activists were killed last week by unidentified gunmen.
The two opposition figures who were killed were Elvino Dias, a lawyer, and Paulo Guambe, a candidate for the Podemos party that backed Venâncio Mondlane.
According to witnesses, the two men were in a car in downtown Maputo when they were surrounded by other vehicles and shot at, with gunmen firing 20 bullets in the attack.
The killings have drawn condemnation from around the world including by the African Union, with many expressing outrage over the violence and calling for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis in Mozambique.
The SADC Chairman and Zimbabwe’s tyrant Emmerson Mnangagwa has said nothing about the crisis, and he is not expected to say anything because his party send Zimbabweans to vote in the Mozambican elections.
