6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison in Mozambique amid post-election violence

Mozambique’s police chief has said that at least 6,000 inmates have escaped from a high-security prison in the capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, as widespread post-election riots and violence continue to engulf the country. The police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The escape from the Maputo Central 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.