Mauritius extends curfew after protests over water and living costs turn violent
Ninety-four people have been arrested, seven police officers wounded and schools closed. The prime minister blames drug traffickers for fuelling the unrest.
PANM — Mauritius extended a curfew covering about a third of the island to Friday morning, after protests over water shortages and the rising cost of living turned violent, Africanews reports.
What happened
- The protests began before a police officer shot a woman; witnesses say the officer has been arrested.
- Protesters looted and burned property and damaged police stations, traffic lights and CCTV cameras. Seven police officers were wounded.
- 94 people have been arrested since the unrest began, 16 of them minors.
- Classes at all nurseries, primary and secondary schools were suspended on Thursday and Friday.
The government's response
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam warned people in a televised address not to take the law into their own hands, and blamed drug traffickers for fuelling the unrest; police sources told AFP that traffickers were paying drug users to attack police stations. The curfew covers ten administrative regions, mainly on the edges of towns.
Those arrested could be prosecuted under anti-terrorism law, and the government is considering lowering the age at which minors can be detained and prosecuted from 14 to 12.
Source: Africanews with AFP, 15 October 2026.
