ANTANANARIVO, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Several areas of Mauritius will be under curfew on Wednesday and Thursday nights, from 8:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time the following day, a Cabinet statement said.
According to the Highlights of Special Cabinet Meeting published on Wednesday, incidents have been reported in several regions, related to looting, possession of explosive substances, breach of curfew order, rogue and vagabond, arson, damaging police stations, traffic lights and CCTV.
The statement said 94 people had been arrested since the beginning of the riots, including 16 minors and one police officer, while seven police officers had been injured.
Police would reinforce deployment of all components of the force at strategic points, especially in areas where acts of violence have been reported, as well as in other parts of the country, it added.
The new curfews will end one hour earlier than the previous one announced by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in a televised address Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource, and the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Research have separately said that all childcare centers will be closed on Thursday, while all public and private primary, secondary and higher education institutions will suspend classes on Thursday and Friday.
Mauritius' National Land Transport Authority has also announced that all public bus services across the country will cease operations at 6:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Since Monday evening, incidents have occurred in several localities across the country, during which individuals set fire to various objects, blocked roads, vandalized police stations and shops, and torched vehicles.
The acts of violence come amid tensions over water supply difficulties and public outrage over the shooting and injury of Elodie Thomas, a 27-year-old woman, during an incident involving a police officer on Friday. According to reports, Thomas was shot without any apparent justification. ■
