Main page content

Mozambique police fire rubber bullets at Maputo rioters

Source: BBC News

3 Sep 2010 - Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in parts of the Mozambique capital on the third day of riots over rising food prices.

Elsewhere, Maputo was calm, with shops and businesses reopening and long queues of people waiting to buy bread and petrol.

Ten people have been killed and 443 injured since the riots began, Health Minister Ivo Garrido said on Friday.

There have also been clashes in the central city of Chimoio.

Six people were shot by police there after protesters tried to stop markets opening, Lusa news agency says.

The latest violence in Maputo was in the suburbs of Benfica and Hulene on the city's outskirts.

However, the BBC's Jose Tembe in the city says Friday's clashes were relatively minor and the police say they have restored order.

The protests began after the price of bread rose by at least 20% in one of the world's poorest countries.

Trade and Industry Minister Antonio Fernando told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the government was striving to make the country less dependent on imported food. [...]

For the complete article, please see BBC News.