The rebellion has continued in Mozambique for three days… More than 1,500 inmates escaped Wednesday afternoon from a prison in Maputo, taking advantage of the agitation and unrest that broke out after the confirmation of Frelimo's victory in power, then that the opposition denounces fraud.
In all, “1,534 detainees escaped from the high-security prison” located about fifteen kilometers from the capital, Bernardino Rafael, head of the national police, confirmed in the evening at a press conference. Of the escapees, 33 were killed and 15 injured in ensuing clashes with prison staff, he said.
Subsequent search operations, supported by the army, made it possible to arrest some 150 of these fugitives. Among the prisoners who fled are around thirty detainees linked to armed jihadist groups who have been sowing terror for seven years in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
Ambulances burned and medicines burned
“We are particularly concerned about this situation,” commented the police chief. Groups of demonstrators approached the prison center and created confusion and noise, sparking unrest within the prison where inmates eventually knocked down a wall through which they escaped, he said. -he explained.
Barricades remained erected on Wednesday in several districts of the capital, filtering out the rare vehicles attempting to circulate, and acts of vandalism continued. In addition to the shops and public buildings already ransacked since Monday, several ambulances were set on fire as were a medicine depot and other local businesses, noted an AFP correspondent.
Some demonstrators had set up tables in the street, to continue to occupy the land while celebrating Christmas with family or with their neighbors, AFP noted in several popular neighborhoods of Maputo.
Despite the irregularities raised by a number of observers during the October 9 elections, the Constitutional Council on Monday confirmed the election of Daniel Chapo, Frelimo candidate, to the presidency with 65.17% of the votes. The opposition is demanding “electoral justice”, calling for demonstrations to denounce this “stolen” election. Two months of demonstrations, strikes and blockades have already cost the lives of at least 150 people, according to several cross-reports from NGOs.
