PORT LOUIS, Mauritius — Police in Mauritius enforced an overnight curfew to quell the island’s worst riots in decades after a woman was shot and wounded by an officer at a roadblock, BBC News, Al Jazeera and AFP reported.
Protests over water shortages and the cost of living that began about a week ago turned violent after 27-year-old Elodie Thomas was shot Friday while traveling home from work. The officer has been arrested and remanded; the Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating. Indian surgeons removed a bullet in an operation Monday, local media said.
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam ordered the curfew from 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday across roughly a third of the island, including Port Louis and major population centres. He warned against those “acting against the interests of the country” and said perpetrators would face “very heavy consequences,” the BBC reported. Protesters had burned tyres, blocked roads, vandalized police stations and torched vehicles; schools and public transport closed, and foreign embassies issued caution alerts.
Police said some incidents and arrests continued overnight despite the curfew, but by Wednesday morning traffic was moving and residents were urged to resume normal activities. The cabinet was due to meet Wednesday afternoon to reassess next steps. Analyst Zoë McCathie of Signal Risk told the BBC protests on this scale had not been seen since about 1999, when police were also a main target.
AFP said looting hit two supermarkets and several officers were injured. Ramgoolam has also blamed drug traffickers for orchestrating disorder — a claim local reporting has not independently verified. Water shortages are expected to persist until the rainy season in December.
Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera, AFP (via Africanews)
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