The authorities of Mauritius have declared this Tuesday a curfew of about 12 hours to try to curb the most serious wave of disturbances recorded in the archipelago in the last 25 years.
The mobilization, which started as a protest against the rising cost of living, ended up turning into direct clashes with the security forces, accused of having shot on Friday night at a 27-year-old woman.
In a televised message this Tuesday, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam confirmed the entry into force of the curfew from 8:30 PM this evening until 6:00 AM on Wednesday, a measure that will be applied in 15 regions of the country, including the capital, Port Louis.
During his speech, the head of government held responsible for the disturbances "a group of people who are inciting hatred and violence" and whose only aim is "to foster tension in the country, disturb public order and peace."
The Executive plans to hold a new meeting on Wednesday at 2:30 PM to analyze the evolution of the scenario. "These people are preparing to cause disturbances again," Ramgoolam pointed out, thus justifying the adoption of these restrictions.
The shooting that triggered the outrage is under investigation. The police officer who fired the shot that injured the woman, Elodie Thomas, has been arrested and formally charged. "We all have in mind the images of unacceptable violence: burning police stations, looted places, attacked police vehicles," Ramgoolam declared. "All of this is unacceptable."