Fort-de-FranceMartinique authorities imposed a night-time curfew on Wednesday in some districts of the capital Fort-de-France after several nights of violence over rising living costs on the French Caribbean island.
The governor of the overseas department, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, has signed a “curfew” between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. in the areas most affected by the protests, which will remain in effect until at least September 23.
Since early September, the island of 350,000 inhabitants has been the scene of a protest movement against rising costs of living, with looting, burning of businesses and barricades being reported.
A study by the national statistics institute Insee in 2022 showed that food prices in Martinique were 40 percent higher than in mainland France.
During the protests, 11 police officers were injured by gunfire, as were “three rioters,” one of them by bullet, Bouvier said.
There were also 15 arrests in connection with the violence, the governor said, adding that 100 gendarmes had been sent as reinforcements.
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– 2024-09-20 02:35:57
