Mauritius unrest intensifies after police shooting

Mauritius faced heightened unrest this week after protests over water shortages and the cost of living intensified following a police shooting that wounded a woman. The government said Wednesday it was extending a curfew through Friday morning, while police said the overnight restriction had been lifted earlier that day, leaving its status in dispute. The protests began last week, according to police, and grew more volatile after a woman was shot by an officer on Friday in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, southwest of Port Louis. She was taken to hospital. The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been established in the reports, and police said an investigation was underway. Police said one officer had been arrested and three others suspended over the incident. The national public prosecutor’s office said the inquiry should also examine the role of Special Mobile Force officers present at the scene. The paramilitary unit was deployed to support local police as unrest spread. The government’s statement, issued after a special Cabinet meeting, said the curfew had been extended to Friday morning in 10 administrative regions, mainly around towns.