Tensions were high as Mozambique’s main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, returned home from self-imposed exile on Thursday (9 January), saying he was ready for talks with the government in a bid to solve the political impasse following a disputed presidential election.
Security forces were on high alert as hundreds of Mondlane’s supporters gathered near the main international airport to welcome him home. Media have reported incidents of police violence toward the crowds in the area, with snipers firing rounds and security forces employing tear gas. The 50-year-old opposition leader went into exile after his lawyer was assassinated on 19 October but continued to hold live online rallies on social media that were watched by thousands of people. Mozambique has been rocked by protests and violence, with more than 280 reportedly killed by security forces, since the 9 October presidential and parliamentary votes, which Mondlane and his allied party Podemos said they had won.
“I’m here in the flesh to say that if you want to negotiate … I’m here,” Mondlane told reporters upon his arrival in a message addressed to the government. He vowed to push his claim that he was the true winner of the presidential poll, which the opposition says was rigged in favor of Daniel Chapo from the ruling Frelimo party, who was officially declared the victor by the country’s highest court in December. Election observers have reported numerous irregularities, citing evidence of vote rigging, but some analysts have cautioned that Frelimo may still have won without any manipulation. In November, the outgoing president, Felipe Nyusi, called for talks with Mondlane, and later said they had spoken by phone in December.