Maputo, 10 Mar (AIM) – Unknown assailants on Saturday shot dead two supporters of the former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, in Massinga district, in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane.
The victims are Daniel Guambe, aged 28, and Rafito Sitoe, aged 21. They were shot dead inside a car by two assailants who are still at large.
The Mozambican police have yet to comment on the murders. According to the NGO “Decide” Electoral Platform, with these two deaths, the number of Mondlane supporters killed by death squads has reached 13.
“Guambe leaves behind a wife and two young children, the last of whom is a four-month-old baby girl. Sitoe had also just become a father”, reads the organization’s note.
Last Wednesday, chaos returned to the streets of Maputo when members of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR – the Mozambican riot police) attacked Mondlane’s motorcade. Many people believe that this was an attempt to assassinate him. The police attack injured 16 people, but the police later denied initial claims that two children died in the clash.
On 19 October last year, Elvino Dias, who was Mondlane’s lawyer, and Paulo Guambe, an election agent for the Podemos political party, which had supported Mondlane’s presidential bid, were shot dead in central Maputo. Although these killings took place in a densely populated area, no suspects have been arrested.
After the Wednesday violence, there were claims that Mondlane had fled the country. In fact, he had flown to Botswana, via South Africa, as shown by a copy of his air ticket posted on social media. In Gaberone, Mondlane met with the former President of Botswana, Ian Khama.
He was due to fly back to Maputo on Sunday, which would allow him to obey a summons to attend an interrogation at the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR). However, Mondlane’s legal adviser, Dinis Tivane, told reporters on Friday that he would disregard the summons in the light of the police attack against his motorcade.
(AIM)
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