At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day following a riot, the country’s police chief said, as widespread post-election unrest and violence rocks the country.
Police Chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured in a confrontation with security forces.
The prisoners escaped during violent protests that destroyed police cars, police stations and infrastructure after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the October 9 election.
The escape from Maputo central prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, began around midday on Wednesday after “unrest” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said.
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Some of the inmates at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and began freeing other inmates.
“A strange fact is that we had 29 convicted terrorists in this prison and they released them. We are concerned as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” Rafael said.
“They (protesters) made noise and demanded that they be able to remove the prisoners who are serving their sentences there,” Rafael said, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to escape.
He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to the authorities and to inform the population about the refugees.
Videos circulating on social media show the moment prisoners left the prison, while other footage shows footage of military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in houses, but some were unsuccessful and were eventually re-imprisoned.
In one video, a prisoner, still wearing handcuffs on his right wrist, says he was held in the prison’s disciplinary department and released by other inmates.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
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