Mozambican police fired on supporters of opposition leader Venancio Mondlane during a march in the capital on Wednesday, injuring at least 10 people, according to Mondlane’s team and a human rights researcher.
A police spokesperson confirmed that officers had dispersed marchers but declined to provide further details.
The protest came hours before President Daniel Chapo signed an agreement with several political parties aimed at resolving months of unrest following last year’s disputed election. Mondlane, who came second in the vote, was excluded from the talks leading up to the deal, which includes a proposed review of the country’s electoral laws.
Analysts say Mondlane’s absence undermines the agreement’s chances of restoring stability in the resource-rich southern African nation.
Mondlane’s team said in a statement on Facebook that his whereabouts were unknown after police broke up the march and that at least 16 people had been injured.
Mondlane did not respond to a phone call from Reuters.
A live video posted on Mondlane’s Facebook page earlier in the day showed him standing in a car moving through a street filled with cheering supporters. The footage captured the sound of gunfire before people started running and the video cut off abruptly.
Zenaida Machado, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the group had confirmed at least 10 people were injured by police. She warned that security forces firing on a peaceful opposition gathering jeopardized efforts to bring stability to Mozambique.
Political analyst Joao Feijo said the government’s dialogue with other political parties amounted to little more than theatre without Mondlane’s involvement.
“The longer it takes to include Venancio, the worse the chances of stabilising the situation,” Feijo said.
Local civil society group Plataforma Decide estimates that more than 350 people have been killed in post-election demonstrations since late October.
Addressing supporters earlier on Wednesday, Mondlane vowed to continue anti-government protests, saying he was prepared for a prolonged struggle.
He alleges that Chapo and his ruling Frelimo party won the October election through fraud, a claim supported by Western observers who deemed the vote neither free nor fair.
Frelimo, which has ruled Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975, denies allegations of electoral fraud.
