from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
Mozambique Bureau
MAPUTO (CAJ News) – After months of relative calm following post-election violence, and after the warring parties appeared to have embraced dialogue, apprehension has once again returned to haunt Mozambique.
This follows the government’s decision to slap the main opposition leader with serious criminal charges — a move widely seen as a major test of the ongoing dialogue aimed at resolving the deadlock over the disputed October 2024 general elections.
On Tuesday, the Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office charged Venâncio Mondlane with five counts, including incitement to “collective disobedience” and instigation of terrorism, in connection with the post-election unrest.
The charges were filed at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in the capital, Maputo, amid a tense atmosphere reminiscent of the country’s worst political violence in recent years, which left hundreds of civilians dead.
Mondlane is expected to go on trial at a date yet to be announced at the time of publication.
On July 7, former Commander-General of the Mozambican police, Bernardino Rafael, also appeared before the PGR for a hearing regarding the police’s alleged involvement in the killings of civilians. However, those proceedings were held behind closed doors.
The developments involving both men cast doubt on President Daniel Chapo’s commitment to political dialogue. Chapo was declared the winner of the October 2024 elections — a result Mondlane rejects, accusing the Mozambique Electoral Commission (CNE) of widespread rigging.
An hour before Mondlane’s scheduled appearance at 10:00, access to the PGR headquarters was closed. Police sealed off the avenue leading to the office, and a sizeable presence of the feared Rapid Intervention Unit, equipped with dogs and water cannons, was deployed in anticipation of protests.
There were no confirmed incidents.
“We have removed the mask of fraud,” Mondlane told reporters after emerging from the PGR.
“We have taken up resistance against a dictatorial regime that maintains itself through weapons, kidnapping, and murder.”
Professor Adriano Nuvunga, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR), described the charges against Mondlane as “serious accusations.”
“But so is the growing pattern of criminalising dissent in contexts where political space is already shrinking,” he added.
Nuvunga warned that for a country where the youth are demanding better governance, accountability, and democratic renewal, the current trend sends a powerful and deeply worrying message.
“It risks reinforcing fear over freedom, and obedience over participation,” he said.
President Chapo, a candidate from the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), which has been in power since independence from Portugal in 1975, was inaugurated on January 15 as Mozambique’s fifth president.
According to official figures, Chapo secured over 65 percent of the vote. Mondlane, running under the banner of the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS), came second with more than 24 percent. The results sparked nationwide protests that, according to human rights groups, left over 400 civilians dead after state security forces used live ammunition to quell demonstrations.
Facing a legitimacy crisis, Chapo signed an agreement on March 5 with all political parties represented in Parliament to resolve the post-election violence. However, the agreement initially excluded Mondlane — until a direct meeting between him and Chapo on March 23 resulted in a separate amnesty accord.
Tensions eased, and in late March, Parliament approved the Inclusive Dialogue Law. Still, doubts remain about the sincerity and effectiveness of the process.
The Mozambican Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) remains among the sceptics.
“There is a lack of honesty, commitment, and seriousness in the dialogues and agreements that we sign,” said André Mulungo of the CDD, speaking to media in Maputo.
Adding to concerns over shrinking democratic space, authorities this past weekend denied entry to outspoken Angolan comedian Vilmário Vemba, a critic of Mozambique’s political climate. He was turned away at Maputo International Airport.
Meanwhile, the government continues to grapple with a renewed Islamist insurgency in the country’s northern regions.
— CAJ News