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fullscreenOppositionelle Venancio Mondlane at the October presidential election in Mozambique. Archive image. Photo: Carlos Equeio
Mozambican opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who has been in exile since his lawyer was shot dead in October, is to return to his homeland.
The message came from Mondlane himself via the social platform Facebook on Sunday.
“If they kill my brothers, they kill my brothers, then I will be there,” Mondlane said, confirming that he is traveling to the capital Maputo on Thursday.
Anti-regime protests following disputed elections held in October are rocking the East African country, with several hundred demonstrators reportedly killed in clashes with security forces.
The main reason for the discontent is that the ruling Frelimo party’s presidential candidate Daniel Chapo has been declared the winner of the presidential election, and Chapo will be sworn in as president in mid-January.
Opposition groups claim that election fraud occurred and several election observers report irregularities in the election, which the regime denies.
Frelimo has ruled the country since independence from colonial power Portugal in 1975.