6,000 prisoners flee amid Mozambique unrest: Police

Mozambique says at least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence continue to engulf the country.

The death toll in Mozambique due to ongoing protests, triggered by the controversial confirmation of the long-ruling Frelimo party as the winner of recent elections on Monday, has climbed to 248, a monitoring group said on Thursday.

Thirty-three prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces, the police chief Bernardino Rafael added.

Police earlier reported there was a manhunt for more than 1,500 fugitives who escaped from the Maputo Central Prison during the riot. 150 have been recaptured as of Wednesday evening, authorities added.

Infrastructure damage

The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations, and general public infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the October 9 elections.

The escape from the prison, located 14 km southwest of the capital, started around midday Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said, adding that prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from prison warders and started freeing other detainees.

“A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defence and security forces,” said Rafael.

“They (protesters) were making noise demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences,” said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee.

Voluntary surrender

He called for the voluntary surrender of the escaped prisoners and for the population to be informed about the fugitives.

Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained.

One prisoner, still with handcuffs on his right wrist, says, in an amateur video, that he was in the disciplinary section of the maximum prison and was released by other inmates.

Frelimo leader Daniel Chapo won 65.17 percent of the vote, about five points less than the initial results declared by the country's electoral commission.

Chapo's main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, has claimed the election was rigged, sparking fears of violence between rival party supporters.

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