Police in Mauritius imposed an overnight curfew to quell the worst riots to break out on the Indian Ocean island in decades.
Peaceful protests over water shortages and the high cost of living that started a week ago erupted into violence on Friday when a woman was shot and wounded by police at a roadblock.
The circumstances of the shooting are not clear, but the officer has since been arrested and remanded in custody.
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam ordered the curfew on Tuesday, warning against those “acting against the interests of the country”, which is a tourism and financial services hub.
“Those who have carried out these actions will have to face the very heavy consequences warranted by their anti-patriotic acts,” he said in an address to the nation.
Violence disrupts schools and public transport
Protesters burned tyres and blocked roads as the unrest escalated over the weekend, with police stations and other public infrastructure properties being vandalised.
The mayhem prompted the closure of schools and public transport, with foreign embassies issuing alerts warning its nationals to be cautious.
Despite the curfew, police said there had been several incidents overnight and some arrests.
But the police assured people that by Wednesday morning traffic was again moving throughout the island and said people should resume their normal activities.
Water shortages could trigger further protests
When protests over the shortage of water initially started, the government had responded proactively by providing more water to households, according to Zoë McCathie, an analyst at South Africa-based Signal Risk.
The escalation had presented a more “unusual situation for the country’s security situation”, with the government resorting to closing schools and imposing a curfew, she told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
“Protests to this scale and to this extent haven’t been seen… since around 1999. So the government’s response to this in that case is logical and is necessary,” she said.
While the government had managed to “curtail the worst of the unrest” there was still a possibility that protests could return in some areas, with water shortages expected to persist until the rainy season in December, she said.
The cabinet is due to meet on Wednesday afternoon to reassess the situation and decide on the next steps.
Source: BBC
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