Dozens of people were killed in a prison riot in Mozambique on Christmas Day, authorities have said.
The riot, reportedly at the maximum security prison in the capital Maputo, left 33 people dead and 15 injured, according to police general commander Bernardino Rafael.
About 1,530 people escaped from the prison in the incident but 150 of them had now been recaptured, he added.
The east African country is experiencing escalating civil unrest linked to October’s disputed election, which extended long-ruling party Frelimo’s stay in power. Opposition groups and their supporters claim the vote was rigged.
While Rafael blamed protests outside the prison for encouraging the riot, justice minister Helena Kida told local private broadcaster Miramar TV that the unrest was started inside the jail 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 identities of those killed and injured were unclear.
There had been separate incidents of unrest in Mozambique after the country’s top court on Monday confirmed Frelimo’s victory. Mozambique’s interior minister said on Tuesday that at least 21 people had died in these incidents.
