Police the main target in major riots

Mauritius is experiencing its worst riots since 1999. Demonstrations that erupted last week over water shortages and living costs escalated after police shot and injured a 27-year-old woman on 9 October. The 1999 protests came amid demands for cannabis to be decriminalised. It has also reportedly been sparked by the high cost of living. News24 reports that schools were shut, and the country’s main business lobby group urged companies to allow staff to work from home. ‘This time again, as in 1999, the police are the main target,’ said political analyst Jocelyn Chan Low. ‘The scale of the violence has multiplied, with police stations and vehicles set ablaze.’ The archipelago, which relies on tourism and financial services to fund its economy, is Africa’s second-richest nation per capita after the Seychelles. It has held peaceful elections since its independence from the UK in 1968. However, the war in the Middle East has driven up fuel prices and a crippling drought has emptied reservoirs, resulting in water-use restrictions in some areas.