6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique. What to know – National

At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day following an uprising, the country’s police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence roil the country.

Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 inmates died and 15 others were injured in a confrontation with security forces.

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

The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, began around noon on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said.

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Some of the inmates at the facility wrested weapons from the guards and began freeing other detainees.

“An interesting fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who released them. We are concerned, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael.

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

He called on the escaped prisoners to hand themselves over to the authorities and to inform the population about the fugitives.

Videos circulating on social media show the moment prisoners left the prison, while other footage shows capture made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in houses, but some were unsuccessful and were eventually detained again.

In one video, an inmate still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held in the prison’s disciplinary section and was released by other inmates.

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