At least 6,000 prisoners escaped from a high-security prison in the Mozambican capital on Christmas Day following a coup, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence rocked the country. is given
Police Chief Bernardino Raffaele said 33 inmates were killed and 15 injured during clashes with security forces.
Prisoners escaped during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country's Constitutional Council confirmed the victory of the ruling Frelimo party in the Oct. 9 election.
The escape from Maputo Central Prison, 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, began around noon on Wednesday after a “protest” by “a group of pro-throne protesters” nearby, Raphael said.
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Some of the inmates at the facility wrested weapons from the guards and began to release other inmates.
“An interesting fact is that we had 29 convicted terrorists in that prison, whom they released. We are worried as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” he said. Raphael said.
“They (the protesters) were shouting, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are serving their sentences,” Rafael said, adding that the reason for the protest was A wall collapsed, allowing the prisoners to escape.
He demanded the escaped prisoners to surrender to the authorities and inform the public about the escapees.
Videos circulating on social media show the moment the inmates leave the prison, while other recordings show arrests by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in houses, but some failed and were taken back into custody.
In one video, an inmate with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held in the disciplinary section of the prison and released by other inmates.
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