On May 9, 2026, Anselmo Vicente, coordinator of the Enamola party, was shot dead outside his home in Chimoio, in the central Manica province of Mozambique. According to the police, he was murdered “while returning home from a party meeting”.
A few days later, on 15 May, another Enamola member, Pedro Chauque, was also assassinated in his home in the southern Gaza province. Witnesses described the criminals as “brutal and professional”.
Both cases reflect a growing wave of violence targeting opposition figures across the country. Particularly affected are supporters of the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (ANAMOLA), which was founded by opposition politician Venancio Mondlane after the disputed October 9, 2024 elections.
Mondlane blames deadly violence on Mozambican state
Anamola leader Mondlane told DW that the government, judiciary and security forces were “at least partly responsible” for the violence against his supporters. Since the party’s establishment in August 2025, 56 members have been killed, he said. Anamola has also documented 436 incidents of violence, including assaults and arson attacks.
Mondlane, who has called the 2024 election rigged and led nationwide protests, spoke of deliberate political repression: “The government is complicit in these murders.”
He said his party has submitted evidence to authorities – so far without results.
Activists report increasing threats in Mozambique
For years, allegations have circulated in Mozambique about so-called death squads that allegedly target critics of the state. During the civil war between the ruling FRELIMO party and RENAMO rebels from 1977 to 1992, both sides committed serious human rights abuses and political killings.
Since around 2015, activists, journalists, and human rights organizations have reported on the alleged presence of organized groups within security forces who are accused of intimidating or killing opposition figures and critical voices.
The allegations have mainly been leveled against police units and other security agencies that are said to have close ties to the ruling Frelimo party.
Maputo rejected responsibility
FRELIMO parliamentary group spokesman Dias Letela said that these incidents were “isolated cases” to be addressed through the judicial system.
The goal, he said, should be to “bring those responsible before the courts.”
The government has completely distanced itself from these murders.
Fear grows among Mozambican opposition
Anamola currently has no representation in parliament, where FRELIMO – in power since independence in 1975 – holds 171 out of 250 seats. But nervousness is also growing among the three opposition parties currently represented in parliament: Podemos (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique), RENAMO and MDM (Democratic Movement of Mozambique).
MDM politician Judite Macuacua told Mozambican MPs that the situation was a systemic problem. Critical voices, he said, are brutally suppressed by the former Marxist liberation movement FRELIMO – through violence if necessary: ”Anyone who refuses to toe the official line can face the death penalty in Mozambique.”
attack on mozambican democracy
Civil society groups are demanding an independent investigation into the killings and attacks against opposition politicians.
“In Mozambique, levels of political intolerance and violence are extremely high,” says Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) in Maputo. “This was already the case under the one-party state and has not fundamentally changed since the introduction of the multi-party system in 1990. FRELIMO still does not tolerate dissent.”
Nuvunga says: “What we are seeing here is not just democratic deficit or state failure. We are effectively dealing with a criminal state.”
He argued that the attacks were state-organized: “There are death squads in Mozambique. And these death squads are deployed by the state. They kill to spread fear, destroy the opposition, and discourage people from political participation.”
The murders of Mozambique’s opposition members remain unsolved.
Decide, a Mozambican NGO, has documented a dramatic increase in political violence since the last elections. Spokesman Wilker Dias accused the government of controlling the judiciary and the prosecutor’s office. His organization, he said, has repeatedly reported specific cases — without any apparent investigative progress.
“We are talking about killings of members of political parties, as well as attacks, arbitrary arrests and other forms of political persecution,” Dias told DW.
He said police and judicial authorities have failed to solve several cases, which suggest that members of so-called death squads may be involved. “The most plausible hypothesis is that these attacks are politically motivated.”
Growing concern about politically motivated killings in Mozambique
The Bar Association of Mozambique (OAM), long considered close to the government, has expressed similar concerns. In an official statement, it described the recent politically motivated killings as a “serious attack on life and democracy” and called for a “genuinely independent investigation.”
The Mozambican state appears unable to fulfill one of its most fundamental duties: guaranteeing the security of its citizens, the association said.
For human rights activist and lawyer Wilker Dias, strong public statements like OAM’s are a sign that growing resistance against political violence and repression is emerging in Mozambique.
This article is taken from German language