At least 6,000 inmates escaped on Christmas Day from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital after a rebellion, according to the country’s police chief, as widespread riots and post-election violence rock the country.
Thirty-three prisoners died and 15 others were injured in a confrontation with security forces, police chief Bernardino Rafael said.
Prisoners fled during violent protests that saw police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 election.
The escape from Maputo central prison, located 14 kilometers southwest of the capital, began around midday on Wednesday after the “agitation” of a “group of subversive demonstrators” nearby, Mr. Rafael said .
Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and began releasing other inmates.
“A curious fact is that in this prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who were released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” stressed Mr. Rafael.
“They (the demonstrators) were making noise, demanding that we be able to release the prisoners who are serving their sentences,” he said, adding that the demonstrations led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to escape.
The police chief called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to the authorities and the population to be informed of the escape.
Videos circulating on social media show the moment the detainees left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in houses, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again.
In one video, a prisoner still handcuffed on his right wrist says he was held in the prison’s disciplinary section and was freed by other inmates.
Mozambique has been gripped by violence since the country’s highest court on Monday confirmed the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, as the winner of the disputed October 9 election.
Mozambican Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo on Tuesday evening that the violence was mainly carried out by young supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second behind Dniale Chapo, who obtained 65%.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the violence and urges all political leaders and relevant parties to “defuse tensions, including through constructive dialogue (and) legal redress,” the Door said on Thursday -deputy spokesperson of the UN, Stéphanie Tremblay.
The UN chief also calls for an end to the violence and to redouble efforts “to find a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis”.
