Mozambique’s lawyers’ body has warned that a resurgence of politically motivated violence and assassinations is undermining democracy and the rule of law after two opposition activists were shot dead in separate incidents within a week.
The Mozambique Bar Association (OAM) said the killings of two members of the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola) in Manica and Gaza provinces, reflected a dangerous escalation of intolerance and intimidation ahead of the country’s 2029 elections.
“The worsening of political violence reveals an environment marked by intolerance, hatred and persecution against dissenting thought, a situation that weakens state institutions and compromises efforts at national reconciliation,” the association said in a statement on Sunday.
OAM said the state was facing “serious difficulties” in guaranteeing citizens’ safety and cautioned that the normalisation of political crimes posed a direct threat to peace and constitutional order.
It said democracy “cannot coexist with the physical elimination of political opponents” and warned that fear and silence were replacing open political debate.
Political assassinations and targeted attacks have long cast a shadow over Mozambique’s political landscape, with civil society groups repeatedly raising concerns about impunity.
The NGO Decide Electoral Platform says more than 20 attacks on opposition members have been recorded since July 2025, adding to a pattern of unresolved cases that has fuelled public mistrust in law‑enforcement institutions.
OAM said the absence of swift investigations and accountability was strengthening clandestine networks of violence and encouraging new acts of political terror.
It demanded a “swift, rigorous, transparent and independent” investigation into the latest killings, insisting that all perpetrators be prosecuted “without political, institutional or partisan protection.”
The association said Mozambique’s 50th anniversary of independence should serve as a moment to recommit to tolerance, mutual respect and the protection of fundamental rights.
“We cannot normalise these hateful practices in a civilised society. Tomorrow’s history depends on today’s commitments,” it said.
JN/APA