Maputo, 9 Jan (AIM) – Former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, as promised, returned to Maputo on Thursday morning after a two month absence.
He arrived from the Qatari capital of Doha on a scheduled flight of Qatar Airways. There as a massive police and military presence in and around Maputo airport, but no attempt was made to detain Mondlane.
That seems to be in line with the statement made last month by the President of the Supreme Court, Adelino Muchanga, that there are no arrest warrants against Mondlane before any Mozambican court.
Thousands of supporters went to the airport to greet Mondlane, but found that the police had blocked the approach roads. Tear gas was fired into the crowds, but in at least one incident the aim of the police was so poor that the gas hit soldiers of the armed forces (FADM). A team from the independent television station TV Sucesso filmed soldiers using puddles formed by the morning’s incessant rain to try to wash the gas from their eyes.
Although the unarmed crowds posed no obvious threat to security, the police used live ammunition to disperse them. The shooting began before Mondlane’s plane landed and continued as Mondlane was driven to the centre of the city. By 10.00, two of Mondlane’s supporters had been shot dead, according to the TV Sucesso reporters.
“Are we dying because we didn’t vote for Frelimo?”, asked one protester.
Speaking in the pouring rain at the main entrance to the airport international terminal, Mondlane denied that he had struck any deal with the government allowing him to return to the country. There had been no “political agreement” with the government, and he had come of his own accord.
As for his political future, Mondlane said he would not accept any position in a government formed on the basis of what he regarded as fraudulent election results.
Over the last fortnight, Mondlane has claimed repeatedly that he will be sworn in as the country’s new President on 15 January. But he seemed to abandon this pretension on Tuesday: instead, he proclaimed himself as “the President elected by the people”, placed his hand on a Bible and swore an improvised oath of office.
He declared his willingness to take part in dialogue with the government. “I am here, in flesh and blood, to say that, if you want a dialogue with me, here I am”, he said.
Dialogue between the government and opposition parties was scheduled to resume on Thursday morning at much the same time as Mondlane was speaking at the airport. Nyusi invited the leaders of Podemos (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique), Albino Forquilha, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), Lutero Simango, of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, and of Nova Democracia (ND), Salomao Muchanga, to a meeting scheduled for 09.00 at the President’s office.
Mondlane also accused the government of committing “a silent genocide”, apparently referring to a series of assassinations of local Podemos leaders.
“People are being kidnapped in their homes”, said Mondlane. “People are being executed extrajudicially in the bush. Mass graves are being discovered with bodies of supposed supporters of Venancio Mondlane”.
He added that a further reason for his return was “to accuse those who are truly guilty of the heinous crimes that have happened”.
Mlondlane had invited members of the government, up to and including President Nyusi, to meet him at the airport – but none of them showed up.
(AIM)
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