Maputo - Mozambique's capital Maputo got back to work on Friday after two days of rioting, triggered by a sharp hike in bread prices, which the government said left seven dead, 288 injured and millions of dollars of damage.
Buses resumed normal service and people returned to their jobs, walking along streets strewn with debris, burnt tyres, broken electricity poles and garbage from looted shops.
Seven people, including two children, were killed when police opened fire on protesters in the deadliest riots to hit the southern African country of 23 million since 2008.
"This was the worst rioting I have ever seen in my life, people can really turn very violent and lives are at risk, instead of a peaceful demonstration," Maputo resident Felizmina Fabia said. Continues Below ↓
Mozambique's Trade and Industry Minister Antonio Fernandes estimated damages at around 122 million meticais (about R23-million) in the southern African country where 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
"The losses from the events of Wednesday and Thursday are estimated at 122 million meticais and we registered seven deaths and 288 injuries," Fernandes said on state-controlled Radio Mozambique.
Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticised the government, saying it failed to gauge the anger that would be unleashed by the 30 percent bread price increase and hikes in water and electricity tariffs.
"The government underestimated the situation and can't understand or doesn't want to understand that this is a protest against the higher cost of living," Alice Mabota, head of the Mozambican League of Human Rights, told Portugal's Lusa news agency.
Although Mozambique is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, it has never fully recovered from one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars, which ended in 1992, and it has a 54 percent unemployment rate.
Some Mozambicans said the riots had caused serious damage to the city's social structure.
"Things are getting back to normal now and we can resume our normal life, the protests caused a lot of damage to the social setup in Maputo," Police Constable Julia Fortes said while queueing for bread in a long line in central Maputo.
The government-imposed price rise took the cost of a breadroll - the bread staple of Mozambicans - to 20 US cents in a country where the average worker earns around $37 a month.
Egyptians also protested over food prices in recent months, and analysts have been warning that riots could follow the jump in food prices in Africa and the Middle East
Mozambicans say they have been hit hard by the rising price of bread and other basic goods, as world wheat prices have soared, but the government said the hikes could not be reversed.
By KRISTEN VAN SCHIE, PETER FABRICIUS, THANDI SKADE AND JOHANNES MYBURGH
South African expatriates and business people were trapped in Maputo on Thursday as rioting over rising food and utility prices continued for a second day.
South African businessman Grant Reid missed his flight home on Wednesday night because of road blockades set up by Mozambican protesters.
"Maputo is always happening, but it was completely dead on Wednesday, absolutely no cars," he said.
His flight to South Africa was due to leave that night, but TV reports said nobody was getting in or out of the city. The two main roads leading to the airport were blocked. Still, Reid thought he could perhaps get through. Continues Below ↓
Hotel management advised him not to try it. As he made his way to the airport early yesterday morning, he realised how right they were. The roads - since cleared by the army - were covered in debris such as burning tyres, water pipes and logs.
"There were marks of barricades every 150m," said Reid. "There's no way we would have made it through."
By 8.30am, as he waited to board a crowded SAA flight home, plumes of black smoke were rising again as gunshots rang out.
Expatriate Craig Vince, who lives in Matola, about 30km north-west of Maputo, described how he had run the gauntlet of rioters on Wednesday.
Driving to work in downtown Maputo on Wednesday was fine. But by noon he could hear gunfire and decided to go home.
Coming across a barricade of burning tyres, he decided to do a U-turn and head the wrong way down the highway to avoid it.
"Halfway through the U-turn, protesters started lobbing cement blocks at me, and a few hit my car. They were kids of about 14."
Vince tried another route, but as he navigated a traffic circle, a brick smashed through his back window. He abandoned his plans to go home and returned to work.
No police officers, soldiers or other official security forces were to be seen.
At about 3pm he made another attempt to go home, via a different route through the Maputo Bay area. Police escorted him through a barricade.
"It was very messy, lots of stuff had been dragged onto the road - pipes which were lying there to be laid for drainage, trees and rocks. The damage near the waterworks was the most evident.
"I saw police firing what I believe were rubber bullets from shotguns, but no bodies."
Maputo - Riots continued into the evening in townships around the Mozambican capital Maputo on Thursday as residents protested increases in living costs.
Seven people had been killed during violent demonstrations that entered their second day in the capital and nearby town of Matola, government spokesman Alberto Nkutumula told journalists.
"The destructive activities, resulting from the unrest caused huge human and material damage," Nkutumula said after an emergency cabinet meeting.
A total of 288 people were wounded during protests on Wednesday.
Mozambicans went on strike from Wednesday in protest against increases in living costs. Bread prices rose 17 percent, while the cost of water and electricity also went up following fuel price hikes and the devaluation of the national currency, the metical. Continues Below ↓
Skirmishes between police and protesters restarted on Thursday morning as crowds blockaded roads with burning tyres again. Demonstrators took to looting and damaging property, damaging 11 public service buses and destroying another completely, Nkutumula said.
Four electrical substations were set alight and two petrol stations vandalised. Up to 23 shops had also been looted, he said.
The first day of rioting caused damage estimated at 122 million metical (R24-million).
Meanwhile South African Airways on Thursday used large Airbus A340-200s, normally used for longer international flights, on its two scheduled flights to Maputo to bring back travellers. They had been left stranded after their flights were cancelled on Wednesday, SAA spokesman Fani Zulu said.
"We have increased the seats available to accommodate passengers who could not fly on the previous flight," he said.
Flights took off and landed without incident in Maputo. The city's international airport was open, although demonstrators periodically barricaded the roads leading to it.
The South African embassy to Mozambique said it had been open from the start of the riots on Wednesday.
Juan Henning, 25, a South African living in Maputo for the past seven years, was unperturbed by the riots in his home town Matola, since he also lived through fuel price hike riots in 2008.
"I'm going through this for a second time now. I am becoming used to it."
He acknowledged, however, that this week's riots were more violent than those two years ago.
"I think this time it was a bit more hectic," he told Sapa.
"They did not set alight cars and petrol stations as they did this time." - Sapa
CLYDESDALE BANK 40 GROUP B, Chelmsford: Essex 193-3 (32.3 ovs) beat Middlesex 189-7 (40 ovs) by seven wickets Match scorecard
Grant Flower faced 77 balls for his unbeaten 81, hitting eight fours
Essex took a huge step towards the semi-finals of the Clydesdale Bank 40 with a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Chelmsford.
After winning the toss, Middlesex were restricted to 189-7, despite an unbeaten 48 from captain Neil Dexter.
A third-wicket stand of 114 between Grant Flower (81 no) and Ravi Bopara (68) helped Essex home inside 34 overs.
Essex will be guaranteed a place in the last four if they manage to beat Yorkshire at Headingley on Sunday.
Yorkshire have already qualified as Group B winners, but victory would see Essex claim the one semi-final spot available to the best runner-up.
The win was a fitting way for Flower, who hit the winning runs, to say farewell to Chelmsford.
The 39-year-old is returning to his native Zimbabwe at the end of the season to take up a coaching role.
It looked as though Flower would be accompanied to the finish by Bopara, but he holed out to a diving Steven Finn off the bowling of Toby Roland-Jones.
Finn had earlier bowled accurately to claim the wickets of Mark Pettini and England colleague Alastair Cook, who was caught in the deep on leg side for just 11.
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Liverpool: CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Hampshire 160 & 275-5, Lancashire 398 (Lancs 7pts, Hants 3pts) Match scorecard
Adams faced 283 balls for his unbeaten 109, hitting 12 fours
Hampshire opener Jimmy Adams hit an unbeaten century but could not stop Lancashire from closing in on victory on day three at Aigburth.
After Hampshire resumed on 15-0, 223 behind, Adams batted through the day for his 109 not out.
He was supported by Sean Ervine (48) and Neil McKenzie (31), as Hampshire closed on 275-5, a lead of 37.
Tom Smith picked up 3-56 for the hosts, who were denied the services of skipper Glen Chapple due to a calf injury.
Adams saw Michael Carberry top-edge Kyle Hogg to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross and Phil Hughes edge the left-arm spin of Gary Keedy to slip before he combined with McKenzie for a third-wicket stand of 73.
After McKenzie nicked Smith behind, James Vince saw his off stump disturbed by the same bowler to leave Hampshire in deep trouble at 141-4.
But Ervine joined Adams for more resistance in a fifth-wicket partnership of 78 that was ended when the former Zimbabwe international edged Smith to first slip.
That was last wicket to fall as Adams, who took 91 balls to get through the 80s and 90s, was joined by Michael Bates (27 not out) to see Hampshire to the close.
Benjani made 24 starts at Eastlands after a two-year spell at Pompey
Blackburn Rovers striker Benjani has admitted he is relishing the chance to rediscover his form and fitness after signing a one-year deal at Ewood Park.
Benjani, 32, who was a free agent after being released by Manchester City, had to allay concerns over a knee problem suffered during a spell at Portsmouth.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I didn't have any problem proving my fitness.
"I'm happy here - I hope to score goals and if I'm fit I know I will have to fight for my place."
He added: "The Premier League is the best league in the world and I always wanted to stay here.
"I know Blackburn are a good team. I need to be playing to gain full fitness - I hope to play some friendly matches and hopefully I'll be match fit within the next month.
He's a little bit more experienced than our other forwards... hopefully we'll be able to get him in the pack as soon as we can
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce
"It's going to be hard work because sometimes if you return from one injury and pick up another it's difficult. So I just hope nothing more will happen to me."
The Zimbabwe international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland before being released by parent club Manchester City earlier this summer, began his career with Jomo Cosmos in 1999.
After spending three seasons with the South African side, he moved to Auxerre before joining Portsmouth for £4.1m in January 2006.
The Harare-born forward made over 70 appearances for Pompey before completing a move to City two years later.
Manager Sam Allardyce added that he is confident the Zimbabwe international will be a valuable asset if he can regain the form shown in last season's 4-1 win by City at Eastlands.
"Our objective is to get him playing like that again," he said.
"He's hungry to continue in the Premier League and we know apart from that injury what he can do. Hopefully we can rekindle that quality of play we know he has.
"I remember him starting well at Newcastle when I was manager there and he came with Portsmouth and within 20 minutes we were 3-0 down and he scored two of them.
"He's a little bit more experienced than our other forwards Mame [Biram Diouf] and Niko [Kalinic] so hopefully we'll be able to get him in the pack as soon as we can."
Maputo - Demonstrators blocked roads with burning tyres and looted shops in Mozambique's capital Maputo on Thursday as deadly riots sparked by soaring bread prices entered a second day.
On Wednesday police and hospital sources said at least six people were killed, including two children, as police opened fire on protesters in the worst riots to hit the southern Africa country of 23 million people since 2008.
Officially, police said four people were killed, including two children.
The rioting was prompted by a 30 percent rise in bread prices in one of the world's poorest countries, which has never fully recovered from one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars. Continues Below ↓
Home Affairs Minister Jose Pacheco said the government was trying to identify the source of text messages and emails which have been circulating since Tuesday, urging residents to join the protests.
"We registered deaths, injuries, loss of property through use of stones and shooting by police using rubber bullets. There is no order to use live bullets," Pacheco told private television STv.
Other top police officials said live ammunition was used in some places after police ran out of rubber bullets and citizens also reported that real bullets were fired.
"We are working on identifying the people who organised the protests and to put the blame for the deaths and injuries as well as destruction of property."
While officials put the death toll at four, sources within the police and at hospitals said at least six were killed and STv reported 10 deaths, about 140 arrested, 27 seriously injured and 32 shops, including banks, looted.
"I cannot risk going to work, police are heavily armed and indiscriminately firing live bullets because they think everyone is involved. It is too dangerous and I'm stranded here," said Gerson Marcos, a resident in Magoanine, a densely populated suburb on the outskirts of Maputo.
Residents of Mozambique say they have been hit hard by rising costs for basic necessities including bread, as wheat prices have soared around the world. Mozambique also has suffered from the rising costs of goods imported from South Africa, whose rand currency has strongly appreciated in value.
Pacheco said the riots must stop and urged citizens to air their grievances through dialogue with the government.
"The protests are illegal and they will not contribute to efforts by Mozambicans to fight poverty," he said, referring to routine meetings between President Armando Guebuza and residents countrywide.
Guebuza on Wednesday condemned the killings and destruction of public and private property and called on Mozambicans to restore order, adding the government had made progress in implementing its strategic plan to improve food production, infrastructure and provide running water and better schools.
The violence was the worst since 2008 when at least six people were killed in protests over high fuel prices and living costs. The government agreed at that time to cut the price of diesel fuel for minibus taxis.
The former Portuguese colony was torn by a 16-year civil war from the late 1970s until a peace treaty was signed in 1992, ending fighting between the then-Marxist ruling part and South African-backed rebels. - Reuters
Maputo - Mozambican police say two of their officers were killed in rioting over high prices.
Pedro Cossa, a spokesman for the police ministry, told The Associated Press on Thursday the officers were beaten by mobs the day before. He says the total toll is four, including two protesters shot by police. He says 26 people were injured.
State TV, citing hospital reports, says seven people were killed, including two children caught in the violence as they went home from school.
The protesters, most of them young men, had rioted over the rising cost of food, fuel and water. They threw stones and looted shops in Maputo, the capital. Continues Below ↓
Maputo was quiet early Thursday, with only police and soldiers on the streets. Debris from the rioting made roads impassible. - Sapa-AP
By PETER FABRICIUS, OMPHITLHETSE MOOKI AND AGENCIES
Hundreds of South Africans got caught up in riots that gripped Mozambique on Wednesday, forcing them to extend their stay in the country and leaving a number of hotels in Maputo scrambling to accommodate those left stranded.
Several people were killed when police opened fire on rioters protesting over rising food, water and electricity prices in Maputo and nearby Matola. The rioters brought much of the capital to a standstill.
Most people couldn't get to work, and passengers were stranded in Joburg and elsewhere because Maputo's airport was shut.
Local television station Soico Televisao put the death toll at 10 or more, with at least 11 injuries, though the state news agency, AIM, put the death toll at "at least three". Continues Below ↓
Euginia dos Santos, of the Hotel Cardoso, said last night: "There's no way people can get to the airport because roads are blocked. It's definitely too risky to get to the airport today (Wednesday)."
Faced with a fully booked hotel, Dos Santos said some of the guests who could not make their way to the airport because of the unrest had agreed to be moved to twin rooms, to make room for other guests who had already booked rooms they had checked out of yesterday morning.
Dos Santos said some rooms remained empty as more guests were stuck at the airport with no way of getting to the hotel.
A South African businessman was turned away by police officers as he tried to make his way to Maputo's airport yesterday, forcing him to miss "an important conference in Joburg".
"Police officers told us to turn back because people were throwing stones at passing cars and burning tyres. I think every businessman has been inconvenienced," said Julio Dias, of Roodepoort.
He said he understood the anger behind the grievances as "there are no unions in Mozambique and there is no formal way for workers to engage the government".
South Africa's high commission was closed after the violent incidents. South African high commissioner to Mozambique Dikgang Moopeloa said South Africans planning to visit Mozambique should avoid the N4 between Maputo and Matola.
Flights into Maputo by both SAA and the local airline LAN were cancelled yesterday.
The rioting appeared to have been sparked by a 13.4 percent increase in electricity tariffs and an 11.7 percent rise in water prices, plus a government announcement that the bread price would rise by 25 percent on September 6.
The worst of the violence seemed to be in the neighbourhood of Benfica, on the outskirts of Maputo, where rioters attacked and damaged the Sasseka food distribution warehouse and an office of the electricity company Electricidade de Mozambique, said AIM.
Ireland are firmly on top after the opening day of the Intercontinental Cup match against Canada in Toronto.
The hosts were bowled out for just 120 in their first innings with captain Trent Johnston picking up five wickets.
Kevin O'Brien (57) and Paul Stirling (45) helped the Irish to 190-4 in reply at the close of play.
Meanwhile, Ireland's slim hopes of retaining the cup ended when Scotland announced they will not be travelling for their game in Zimbabwe.
Ireland are fifth in the table after rain in last year's games against Kenya and Scotland meant they only registered points for draws instead of victories.
Johnston took three wickets in four balls in his 5-32 as the Canadians were dismissed in 32 overs.
Allan Eastwood (3-30) also impressed while O'Brien and Albert van der Merwe each claimed a wicket.
Stirling smashed seven fours and a six in his 45 to give Ireland the perfect start to their innings.
O'Brien top-scored with a steady 57 with Andre Botha (39) and Andrew White (30 n.o.) also helping to put the tourists on top.
Ireland squad: Trent Johnston (capt), Andre Botha, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Allan Eastwood, Nigel Jones, Rory McCann, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Andrew Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (ODIs only)
Zimbabwe faces a variety of difficult economic, political and social challenges as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, political oppression, increasing mortality rates and a worsening education system. Zimbabwe's current crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence in 1980, has been attributed to gross government mismanagement, a severe nationwide drought and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
