Police, worshipers clash causes casualties in Mozambique

One person was killed and another five injured, when police officers tried to disperse worshipers gathering in a mosque in northern Mozambique, Radio Mozambique (RM) reported on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday, when a group of police officers confronted worshipers who were gathering in a mosque in the province of Niassa to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

It violated the State of Emergency regulations which prohibit gatherings of more than 20 people, authorities confirmed to the state radio station.

“Our colleagues on duty came across an open mosque where more than 200 people had gathered. The police had to disperse them. Unfortunately, they resisted and confronted the police by throwing sticks and stones,” the provincial police spokesperson Alves Mathe told RM.

He said one of the police officers was physically assaulted, and was forced to use his firearm.

The State of Emergency has been enforced for nearly two months in the country to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The country’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 213 on Tuesday, with Niassa being the only province that hasn’t registered a positive case.