At least 6,000 prisoners escaped from a high-security prison in the Mozambique capital on Christmas Day after a mutiny, the police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence rock the country.
Police Chief Bernardino Rafael said that 33 prisoners were killed and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with security forces.
Prisoners fled during violent protests that saw police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the victory of the ruling Frelimo party in the October 9 elections.
The breakout from Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, began around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of disruptive protesters” nearby, Rafael said.
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Some prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and began releasing other detainees.
“The strange fact is that we had 29 convicted terrorists in that prison, and they were released. “We are concerned, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” Rafael said.
“They (the protesters) made noise demanding the ability 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 themselves to the authorities and inform the population about the escapees.
Video clips circulating on social media show the moment prisoners leave the prison, while other recordings reveal captures carried out by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some of them did not succeed and ended up being arrested again.
In one video, a prisoner still handcuffed on his right wrist says he was detained in the disciplinary section of the prison and then released by other inmates.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
