More than 1,500 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Mozambique, taking advantage of ongoing political unrest triggered by disputed election results.
According to sources, thirty-three people were killed and 15 injured in clashes with guards. Police chief Bernardino Rafael told a press conference that protests erupted on Monday in response to Mozambique’s highest court confirming that the ruling Frelimo party, in power since 1975, had won October’s presidential elections.
Mr Rafael said groups of anti-government protesters had approached the prison in the capital Maputo. The prisoners used the unrest to knock down a wall and escaped.
Around 30 of the prisoners were linked to armed groups that have been behind unrest and attacks in the northern province of Cabo Delgado for the past seven years.
“We are particularly concerned about this situation,” Rafael said.
Groups of protesters had approached the penitentiary Wednesday, creating confusion and triggering unrest inside the prison, where inmates ended up knocking down a wall through which they escaped, he explained.
Barricades remained erected in several areas of the capital Wednesday, limiting movements, as acts of vandalism continued. In addition to stores and public buildings that were already ransacked Monday, ambulances were set ablaze along with a drugstore and other businesses, according to an AFP correspondent.
Some demonstrators also set up tables in the streets to occupy the space while celebrating Christmas with family or neighbours, an AFP journalist witnessed in several working-class districts of Maputo.
Monday’s confirmation of the election result came despite claims of irregularities from many observers.
Frelimo leader Daniel Chapo won 65.17 percent of the vote, about five points less than the initial results declared by the country’s electoral commission.
