Mauritius imposes curfew after night of unrest over police shooting

What the report says

Mauritius has imposed a nighttime curfew in parts of the country after unrest followed the police shooting of a 27-year-old woman, according to Al Jazeera, citing Reuters. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said the curfew would run from 8:30pm to 6am local time and cover the capital, Port Louis, as well as major population centres. The measure came after a night of public anger in a country where such unrest is uncommon.

The incident involved Elodie Thomas, who was wounded in the south of Port Louis while traveling home from work in a van. The Health Ministry said she underwent surgery to remove a bullet, and local media reported that a police sergeant had been charged in connection with the shooting. Al Jazeera reported that authorities did not give details on what led to the confrontation, and police said an investigation was underway.

The unrest included road blockages and tyres being burned, prompting police deployments. Some schools were closed because of the situation. The prime minister’s office later said conditions had returned to normal and that the public sector would operate as usual. The episode is significant because it has put pressure on the government in a major tourist destination and raised scrutiny of police conduct and public safety.