Mozambique puts prisons on high alert ahead of Mondlane trial
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Zitamar
Mozambique’s National Prison Service has ordered the highest state of readiness in all prisons from 16 November, on the eve of opposition figure Venâncio Mondlane’s trial. The directive includes redeploying guards and increasing external patrols, Zitamar reports, while Mondlane said he would not call on supporters to demonstrate if he were convicted.
Mozambique’s National Prison Service (SERNAP) has ordered the highest alert level in all prisons from 16 November, on the eve of opposition figure Venâncio Mondlane’s trial. The directive was reported by Zitamar, a Mozambican outlet specialising in news about the country.
The measures include redeploying guards assigned to administrative duties, increasing external patrols and coordinating with the police and army. The order particularly targets facilities affected by incursions and escapes during the unrest in 2024. Zitamar recalls that Mondlane said in an interview published on 18 October that he would not call on his supporters to demonstrate if he were found guilty.
Amnesty International documented arbitrary arrests and the unlawful use of force during the post-election crackdown in a report published in April 2025. The civil society platform DECIDE estimated that around 315 people died between October 2024 and January 2025, according to Zitamar.
Mondlane’s trial is due to open on 17 November, after its postponement was announced on 21 September. The proceedings will not be broadcast, according to a decision reported on 22 September.
