
Maxixe (Mozambique), 23 Sep (AIM) – A pickup truck used in the election campaign of Podemos (Party of Optimists for the Development of Mozambique), the party which is supporting the independent presidential candidate, Venancio Mondlane, caught fire before dawn on Monday, in the district of Mabote, in the southern province of Inhambane.
The vehicle was to have been used for a Podemos march and rally in the Mabote market on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Podemos legal office, Judite Simao, told AIM that the fire was detected at around 03.00. “We were sleeping, when we were surprised by the guards shouting ‘Quick! It’s on fire!’”
The truck was parked very close to the place where the Podemos group was staying, and so they were obliged to evacuate their rooms very quickly,
“The flames were very high, perhaps six metres high, and burnt everything inside the vehicle. Traces of fuel could be seen in the truck”, Simao said. “Fortunately, we managed to take out the generator before it exploded. It’s a large generator holding about 20 litres of petrol”.
“We have no doubt that this was premeditated”, Simao added.
Podemos issued a press release describing the fire as “a limitation on the exercise of political activity and an act of attempted murder”.
“This is not only an attack against our delegation, but it is also an attack against democracy and on the right to freedom of expression”, the release added.
“We appeal for peace and reconciliation and we reaffirm our commitment to fair and transparent elections”, declared Podemos.
(AIM)
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