Mauritius imposes curfew after police shooting sparks violent protests

Mauritius imposed a curfew on Tuesday over roughly a third of the island in response to rare violent protests that erupted after a police officer shot and seriously wounded a woman.

The Indian Ocean island,popular with tourists for its pristine beaches and coral reefs,has long been seen as a model of prosperity and stability.

But protests against water shortages and the rising cost of living have rocked the island in recent days.

The curfew runs from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning,affecting 10 administrative regions,mainly on the outskirts of towns.

"My message is clear and uncompromising: we will identify the instigators and all those who are acting against the interests of the country,and they will be held to account," Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said.

"Those who have carried out these actions will have to face the very heavy consequences warranted by their anti-patriotic acts."

According to witnesses,the police officer fired without warning at the woman,hitting her in the neck. He has been arrested and brought before the courts.

The woman is still in hospital,but the bullet has been removed by a team of Indian surgeons dispatched to Mauritius to save her,according to local media.

The protests had begun before the shooting,with demonstrators using burning tyres to block roads.

After the incident,several cases of looting were reported,notably at two supermarkets,and police stations were attacked,injuring several officers.

Embassy warnings

The British embassy in Mauritius warned its nationals there may be further protests and to "avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings."

The French embassy in Mauritius has also asked the French community to "exercise caution."

No outbreaks of violence had been reported since the start of the curfew,an AFP correspondent observed on Tuesday evening.

Mauritius has seen remarkable growth since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.

Its economy,once primarily agricultural and centred on sugar production,has diversified and is now driven by tourism as well as textiles and the financial sector.

Mauritius even briefly achieved high-income country status in 2020,before its economy was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.