Armed forces in Maputo opened fire and used teargas to disperse the crowds gathering in the capital of Mozambique today, to support Venâncio Mondlane, the presidential candidate of Mozambique’s Podemos party.

This happened less than two hours after Mondlane had landed at Maputo International Airport after an absence of two months.

His motorcade was driving through the streets of Maputo to a central point near the Mercado Estrela, where he addressed the crowd. It was during this speech that the police arrived.

Club of Mozambique, an online publication, reported that the police dispersed the crowd at 10:00 when several shots were fired and teargas was thrown into the surrounding area.

After some gunshots were heard, Mondlane ordered the crowd to disperse. Videos circulating on social media indicate that a general stampede took place afterwards.

Watch the chaos here:

Muitas balas reais e gás lacrimogéneo disparado para dispersar seguidores do Venâncio Mondlane na manhã de hoje na cidade de #Maputo. Há óbitos e feridos. Desconhecida localização exacta do Mondlane. #Moçambique pic.twitter.com/XBB8orHNHU

— Alexandre Nhampossa (@AllexandreMZ) January 9, 2025

For those of you who like to say all protestors are violent just because you started very late following the post electoral incidents, I hope today you are clear who exactly are the terrorists and who exactly is teaching violence. People wanted to receive their candidate and this… pic.twitter.com/nVuUBuqIaS

— Cídia Chissungo (@Cidiachissungo) January 9, 2025

Images of bloodied supporters lying on the ground and others fleeing the area were widely circulated on the WhatsApp channels: Nossa Moçambicanidade, Jovens Unidos and Desnecessário. There were also images shared of vehicles damaged by bullets.

Also read: Podemos leader greets Mozambican home soil with prayer at airport