A wave of unrest in Mozambique, sparked by the controversial confirmation of Frelimo’s election victory, culminated in a catastrophic prison break on Christmas Day.
Over 1,500 prisoners escaped from a high-security penitentiary near Maputo, resulting in deadly clashes between inmates and authorities.
The scale of the escape was confirmed by National Police Chief Bernardino Rafael at a press conference. He revealed that a total of 1,534 detainees escaped the prison, located approximately 15 kilometers from the capital.
The escape was facilitated by a combination of external protests and internal unrest, leading to the inmates breaching a prison wall.
The chaos resulted in a violent confrontation between fleeing prisoners and prison staff.
“Among those attempting to escape, 33 were killed and 15 were wounded in clashes with prison staff,” Rafael stated.
A subsequent search operation, supported by the army, led to the recapture of approximately 150 fugitives.
The timing of the …