Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane announced yesterday that he would be returning to Mozambican soil next Thursday, after being in exile in an unknown place since October 21, 2024.

"On Thursday, January 9, at 8.05 a.m., Venâncio Mondlane will be at Mavalane International Airport, I'm coming to Mozambique," he said.

According to Mondlane, all the work on the post-election protests has already been done during his time abroad. He clarified that his presence in Mozambique marks the beginning of the "Ponta de Lança" phase, the final phase of the demonstrations.

"The spear is a weapon that comes through the air, and I, Venâncio, came through the air to land at Mavalane International Airport," he said.

During a broadcast on his social networks, he called on his supporters to welcome him on his arrival in the country.

He said that he was aware of the existence of civil and criminal proceedings against him in the country, but that this did not worry him. He said that President Filipe Nyusi never wanted to resolve these judicial issues.

"If you're killing my brothers, then I'll be there and you can do what you want. If you want to murder, murder. If you want to arrest me, arrest me. You don't have to pay mercenary companies all over the world to look for me anymore," he said.