A prison riot in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, has left 33 dead and 15 injured. More than 1,500 detainees have also escaped from prison. Reuters news agency reported this on Wednesday evening based on statements by police commander Bernardino Rafael. The police have now remanded about 150 prisoners, Rafael said.
According to the police commander, there is a connection between the attempted prison escape and the anti-government protests outside it that have been going on for months. The Minister of Justice denied that the two events were related.
In the east African country, the ruling party Frelimo has been in power continuously since independence in 1975. In the most recent elections, on October 9, 2024, Frelimo claimed to have won a 70 percent majority.
Independent observers and members of the opposition dispute that result. On Monday, the country’s highest court ruled that Frelimo had won the elections. According to the judge, Frelimo had obtained 65 percent of the votes, instead of 70, although the difference was not explained.
After the ruling, intense protests broke out in several places in the country. Besides fell According to Minister of the Interior Pascoal Ronda, more than 20 deaths occurred in the first 24 hours. Before that, at least 130 demonstrators had been killed since the elections in October.
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