The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has condemned the murder of Mozambican lawyer Elvino Dias and a local politician, Paulo Gambe, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
The murders have been linked to the elections held in Mozambique nearly two weeks ago.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 21, Mahamat urged Mozambican security authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. Reads the statement:
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemns the killing of Mr Elvino Divas and Mr Paulo Gambe and expresses his sincere condolences to their families.
The Chairperson calls on the Mozambican security authorities to undertake the necessary investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Chairperson continues to closely monitor the aftermath of the conduct of the General Elections in Mozambique held on 9 October 2024 and expresses deep concern about the reported cases of post-election violence and in particular the recent killings.
The Chairperson recalls that the AU deployed a short-term election observer mission to Mozambique.
The Chairperson urges all political actors to maintain a peaceful disposition as the country awaits the official declaration of the final results by the Constitutional Council.
In this regard, the Chairperson calls for calm and utmost restraint while urging all political parties and their supporters to allow due process in the overall supreme interest of stability in Mozambique.
According to the SADC Lawyers Association (SADCLA), Dias represented opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane and provided legal services to the PODEMOS political party.
He was killed alongside Paulo Guambe, a representative of PODEMOS. A woman in the same car was injured.
It is alleged that the attackers fired about 25 bullets at the victims, indicating a clear intent to kill, according to SADCLA.
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