Protesters in the streets of Mahébourg, Mauritius, on September 12, 2020, denounce the government's management of the oil spill that sullied the coast in August.

-

Fabien Dubessay / AFP

More than 20,000 people demonstrated this Saturday in Mahébourg, in the south-east of Mauritius, to denounce the government's management of the oil spill which soiled the coasts in August.

A crowd waving flags and chanting slogans marched through the coastal town, where the Japanese bulk carrier Wakashio ran aground on July 25, releasing at least 1,000 tons of fuel oil that disfigured the coast - including protected areas housing forests mangroves and endangered species - and polluted the crystal-clear waters popular with tourists.

Police estimated the number of attendees at 25,000, but organizers claimed at least double.

The country's worst environmental disaster

Protesters blame Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his government for failing to act quickly enough to prevent the worst environmental disaster in the history of the nation of 1.3 million people.

"He must leave," chanted the demonstrators on Saturday in reference to the Prime Minister, also calling for the resignation of the government.

“We are here to call on the government to pack up and go.

The people no longer have confidence in this government, ”declared Marie, a demonstrator who did not wish to indicate her surname.

The sinking of the Wakashio "illustrates the incompetence of the government", said Bruno Laurette, one of the organizers of the demonstration, denouncing "a criminal negligence which has had an impact on the flora and fauna of our country".

No excuses

On August 29, a demonstration of exceptional magnitude brought together tens of thousands of Mauritians, who took to the streets of Port-Louis to denounce the government's management of the oil spill.

Between 50,000 and 75,000 people, according to the estimates of the organizers and the local press - had stormed the cathedral square, in the heart of the capital.

No rally had brought together so many people on the island since the meeting that followed the opposition's victory in the 1982 legislative elections.

Mauritius, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, depends on its waters for its food security, based on fishing, and for ecotourism, in an area which is among the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.

The Prime Minister, in power since 2017, deemed he had made no mistakes and refused to apologize.

Planet

Oil spill in Mauritius: The owner of the stranded ship promises 8 million euros to clean up

Planet

Mauritius: About twenty dolphins stranded on the coasts

  • Planet

  • World

  • Oil spill

  • Pollution

  • Mauritius