Venâncio Mondlane, the presidential candidate of the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), landed in Maputo at about 08:30 this morning, on a Qatar Airlines flight, with high police and defence force presence.

Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and tie, Mondlane kneeled, Bible in hand, as he entered the arrivals hall of Maputo Airport. In a Facebook Live video, Mondlane can be seen praying for a few minutes while being cheered on by supporters. An hour after arrival, the video has already been watched over 1.2 million times.

Although access to the airport was closed off and mostly passengers and media were allowed to enter, there was still a large group present. On Sunday, Mondlane had called upon supporters of Podemos to await him this morning and to wear black and white T-shirts with print honouring the victims of the protests. The streets near the airport were lined with supporters, and they did not seem to be perturbed by the rainy weather.

Watch: Podemos supporters celebrate their leader’s return

On the way to his vehicle, Mondlane stopped to shortly brief the media. He said he returned to Mozambique to dispel a narrative that he was not willing to engage in dialogue with other leaders. Mondlane said a silent genocide was happening in the country, and he wanted to intervene and show his followers some solidarity. He said he would be willing to respond to the legal accusations made against him.

Mondlane once again proclaimed himself the president elected by the people of Mozambique, and said the outcome of the Constitutional Council was irrelevant.

It is anticipated that he will address his followers later today and announce the terms of the Spearhead protest phase.

Yesterday, Mozambique’s National Human Rights Commission released a statement and announced that it would investigate the human rights violations related to the escape of more than 1 000 maximum-security prisoners on Christmas Day. The commission said it had already visited two prisons and that the perpetrators would be held accountable.

Horrific video footage of a massacre of more than 30 prisoners were circulated on social media, sparking more upset and protests.

The capital city was hit with heavy rain yesterday, flooding streets and damaging property and vehicles.

This is a developing story. Caxton Network News will keep its readers updated as information becomes available.