The police general commander of Mozambique, Bernardino Rafael, reported on Wednesday, a jail riot in the city Maputo left 33 people dead and 15 injured. Civil disturbance connected to the contested election continues.
Mozambique's highest court ruled on Monday that long-ruling party Frelimo won the election, sparking fresh statewide protests by opposition parties and supporters who claim the vote was stolen.
While Rafael accused rallies outside the jail for inciting the incident, Justice Minister Helena Kida told local private network Miramar TV that the turmoil began within the prison and had nothing to do with protests outside.
“The confrontations after that resulted in 33 deaths and 15 injured in the vicinity of the jail.” Rafael told a media briefing.
The identity of those slain and injured remained unclear.
In the event, around 1,534 individuals fled from the jail, but 150 have since been recovered, according to Rafael, who also stated that prison break attempts occurred at two other institutions.
“We are worried as a country, Mozambicans and security forces,” Rafael said. “We expect in the next 48 hours a rise in crime.”
Mozambique's interior minister said on Tuesday that at least 21 people were murdered amid rioting after the Supreme Court's ruling.
Prior to Tuesday, the civil society monitoring organization Plataforma Decide said that at least 130 people have been murdered in conflicts with police since the uprising began.
