What You Need to Know
Plataforma Decide, a Mozambican NGO, has criticized the Attorney-General’s investigation into the murders of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, supporters of politician Venâncio Mondlane. The NGO highlights concerns over the use of a deceased individual in the investigation, which it claims limits accountability and judicial scrutiny. The Attorney-General acknowledged challenges in the case, with two,
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican NGO Plataforma Decide today criticised the investigative lines presented by the Mozambican Attorney-General regarding the double murder of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, supporters of politician Venâncio Mondlane in the 2024 elections, pointing to limitations on contradiction and obstacles to accountability due to the association of the case with a deceased individual.
“The report also introduces the hypothesis of the involvement of Nini Satar, who is now deceased. The use of a deceased individual as a central element of an investigative line raises serious concerns regarding the soundness of the case. In addition to completely limiting the adversarial process, this approach may, in practice, act as a barrier to effective accountability, as it prevents judicial scrutiny and full verification of the facts,” reads a statement from the non-governmental organisation, released today.
The Mozambican Attorney-General said on Wednesday, during the presentation to parliament of the Public Prosecutor’s Office annual report for 2025, that two people had been detained out of three suspects questioned in the case of the murder of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, acknowledging “major challenges” due to “several lines” of investigation.
According to Attorney-General Américo Letela, Elvino Dias was killed after having previously survived an attempted attack in Alto Molócuè district, in Zambézia province, central Mozambique. Dias was also allegedly involved in the falsification of a death certificate of a woman described as a “partner of Nini Satar”, who at the time of the events was involved in a kidnapping case, Letela told parliament. At the time of the murder, the lawyer had reportedly begun cooperating with the authorities to clarify the case. The Attorney-General said last week.
Américo Letela said the trial concerning the falsification of documents and simulated death, led by Nini Satar — one of those convicted for the murder of Mozambican journalist Carlos Cardoso and who died in prison in March 2025 — had been scheduled for 20 October 2024, with the double murder occurring a day earlier.
For Plataforma Decide, the use of a deceased person in the investigation may, in practice, function as a “barrier to effective accountability”, as it prevents further judicial scrutiny and full verification of the facts.
“Without the presentation of robust material evidence, this line of investigation risks being perceived as a convenient but insufficient solution,” it warned.
The NGO also pointed to the abandonment of an initial line of investigation advanced by the police, which suggested a crime of a “passional nature”.
“Even more worrying is the contradictory handling of the lines of inquiry. Following the murder of Elvino Dias, the Mozambican National Police publicly put forward the theory of a ‘crime of passion’. However, this narrative disappears entirely from the Attorney-General’s report, without any explanation,” Plataforma Decide said.
“The lack of clarification regarding the abandonment of this line of inquiry undermines transparency and prevents effective public scrutiny,” it added, in addition to suggesting a lack of institutional coherence and raising the possibility of fragility or even arbitrariness in the conduct of the investigation into the double murder.
Elvino Dias, known in Mozambique as the “people’s lawyer” for the social causes and support he provided, particularly to the most disadvantaged, was killed in an ambush on 19 October 2024, a crime still unexplained and since linked to political motivations.
At the time, he was legal adviser to Venâncio Mondlane, and the vehicle he was driving in central Maputo was intercepted by two cars from which armed men emerged and fired dozens of shots, killing both Elvino Dias, aged 45, and Paulo Guambe, a representative of Podemos, the party that supported the presidential candidate in the elections held days earlier.
Speaking to Lusa, Mozambican politician Venâncio Mondlane said he does not believe the version presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and stated on his Facebook page that the authorities are taking refuge in “dead people” in the case of the murder of his supporters.
The murders of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe on October 19, 2024, have raised significant concerns regarding political violence in Mozambique. Dias, known as the ‘people’s lawyer’, was a prominent figure advocating for social causes and was closely associated with the political party Podemos. His assassination, alongside Guambe, has been linked to the broader context of political tensions in the country, particularly during the election period.
The investigation into their deaths has faced scrutiny, particularly regarding the handling of evidence and the abandonment of initial investigative lines. The involvement of deceased individuals in the case has sparked debates about the integrity of,
