A Mozambican opposition leader who fled due to concerns about his safety following the election has returned

After escaping in the days after a fiercely fought October election that produced protests in which numerous demonstrators were slain, Mozambique opposition leader Venancio Mondlane returned home on Thursday.

Mondlane has urged his supporters to march to the streets throughout the 35 million-person country in southern Africa, claiming that the poll on October 9 was rigged.

In the vicinity of the international airport in the capital Maputo, where thousands of people gathered to greet Mondlane, there was a noticeable riot police presence.

Snipers were stationed on buildings surrounding the air base, and a Reuters witness reported that tear gas was used on nearby civilians.

For almost two months, there have been intermittent protests, and Mondlane’s return might exacerbate the situation.

Since mid-October, when the electoral commission declared the results prolonging the ruling Frelimo party’s half-century in power, at least 278 people have lost their lives in the protests, according to civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.

Since the end of the battle against Portuguese colonial control in 1975, Frelimo has held sway over Mozambique, surviving a 15-year civil war that claimed a million lives before a truce was reached in 1992.

In the midst of the bloodshed, last year’s turmoil damaged businesses, blocked border access with neighboring South Africa, caused some people to flee, and opened new borders with neighboring Malawi and Eswatini.

Despite several claims from observers that the election was not free and fair, Mozambique’s top court in December upheld the incumbent party Frelimo’s victory, sparking new protests.

Next Monday, Daniel Chapo, the recently elected president, will take office, marking yet another possible flashpoint in Mozambique’s political situation.

Frelimo and Chapo refute claims of electoral fraud.