Mauritius imposed a curfew after a police shooting triggered rare violent protests on the Indian Ocean island.
The curfew was announced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on Tuesday, from 8:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. Wednesday. It covers the capital Port Louis and other major population centres.
The unrest began on October 7 in La Caverne-Phoenix over water shortages and rising living costs. It escalated after 27-year-old Elodie Thomas was shot and wounded by a police officer on October 9 while travelling home from work in a van, south of the capital.
Health Minister Anil Bachoo said Thomas underwent successful surgery to remove the bullet. Specialist surgeons arrived from India to treat her.
Local media reported that a police sergeant has been provisionally charged in connection with the shooting. Three other officers were suspended for failing to assist a person in danger. Police said an investigation is underway.
Following the shooting, protesters burned tyres, blocked roads, and attacked police stations. A McDonald’s in Beau-Bassin was vandalized and several vehicles were set on fire.
Some schools were closed on Tuesday due to the turmoil. The Prime Minister’s Office later said the situation had returned to normal and the public sector would operate as usual. It is the worst incidence of rioting in Mauritius since the 1999 riots.
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