Maputo, 11 Jun (AIM) – Venancio Mondlane, former presidential candidate and leader of the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola), on Wednesday skipped a meeting of the Council of State in protest against “political harassment and assassinations against members and supporters of his political party.”
The Council of State is an advising body to the President of the Republic. Mondlane is a member of the Council of State by virtue of the legislation that makes it clear that the runner-up in the latest presidential election is automatically entitled to a seat on the Council.
Over the last month, two Anamola members were shot dead in the southern province of Inhambane and central province of Manica.
According to the NGO “Decide” Electoral Platform, from July 2025 to the present day, over 20 attacks against members of the opposition parties have been recorded.
In an official letter, addressed to Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, Mondlane claims that he is currently abroad fulfilling a schedule of meetings with various actors in the international community, with the aim of raising awareness among partners about the “assassinations, kidnappings, abductions, arbitrary arrests and the atrocious persecution of members of the Anamola party.”
“These violent episodes have been occurring for over a year, without any intervention from national public authorities to stop these profoundly inhumane and anti-democratic atrocities”, reads the letter.
“The commitments resulting from this trip will extend beyond the date of the State Council meeting, making it impossible for me to return in time to participate in the meeting”, adds the document.
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