毛里求斯是印度洋上的岛国，以白沙滩度假胜地闻名，近期爆发了自1999年以来最严重的骚乱。
Mauritius, an Indian-ocean island nation best known for its white-sand beach resorts, has been rocked by its worst riots since 1999.
上周因水资源短缺和生活成本上涨而爆发的示威活动，在10月9日警方击中并击伤一名27岁女性后升级。近三十年前的抗议活动则是在要求将大麻非刑事化的背景下爆发的。学校已停课，主要商业游说团体呼吁公司允许员工在家办公。
Demonstrations that erupted last week over water shortages and living costs escalated after the police shot and injured a 27-year-old woman on Oct. 9. The protests almost three decades ago came amid demands for cannabis to be decriminalized. Schools have been shut and the main business lobby group urged companies to allow staff to work from home.
“这一次，就像1999年一样，警察成为主要目标，”历史学家和政治分析师乔斯林·陈洛在接受采访时表示。“暴力规模呈倍增态势，警察局和车辆被纵火。”尽管摩洛哥、肯尼亚到马达加斯加等非洲国家在过去两年因生活成本、电力短缺和失业问题爆发骚乱，但毛里求斯的动荡显得与众不同。
“This time again, as in 1999, the police are the main target,” Jocelyn Chan Low, an historian and political analyst, said in an interview. “The scale of the violence has multiplied, with police stations and vehicles set ablaze.”While African countries ranging from Morocco and Kenya to Madagascar have been hit by riots overs costs, power shortages and unemployment over the last two years, unrest in Mauritius is unusual.
该群岛依赖旅游业和金融服务来支撑经济，是非洲人均收入第二高的国家，仅次于塞舌尔。自1968年从英国独立以来，该国一直举行和平选举。
The archipelago, which relies on tourism and financial services to fund its economy, is Africa’s second-richest nation per capita after the Seychelles. It has held peaceful elections since independence from the UK in 1968.
然而，中东战争推高了燃油价格，严重干旱导致水库干涸，部分地区实行了用水限制。
Still, the war in the Middle East has driven up fuel prices and a crippling drought has emptied reservoirs, resulting in water-use restrictions in some areas.
街头抗议活动从10月7日开始，在主岛毛里求斯中部地区爆发，道路被破碎的家具和床垫堵塞。该女性被击中后进一步点燃了民愤，此前被紧急飞来的印度外科医生在周一为她进行手术取出子弹。
Street protests began on Oct. 7 in the central region of the main island, known as Mauritius, with roads blocked with broken furniture and mattresses. The shooting of the woman further fueled anger, with Indian surgeons who had been flown in to treat her operating on Monday to remove a bullet.
“动乱的根本原因几乎与三十年前的骚乱相似，”陈洛说。“1999年2月，一名流行歌手在警方拘留期间死亡，引发了骚乱。”当时，约瑟夫·雷金纳德·托皮兹，艺名为Kaya，在被警方拘留后被发现死亡。这位融合了雷鬼和当地塞加音乐风格的塞格亚音乐歌手的死亡引发了为期三天的示威。教堂和商店被焚烧和洗劫，多名抗议者被杀害，据美国国务院称。
“The root cause for the unrest is almost similar” to the riots three decades ago, said Chan Low. “In February 1999, a popular singer died in police custody, triggering riots.”Back then, Joseph Reginald Topize, known by the stage name Kaya, was found dead after being detained by police. The death of the singer of seggae music, a blend of reggae and the local sega genre, sparked three days of demonstrations. Churches and shops were burned and looted, and several protesters killed, according to the US State Department.
10月12日，抗议者在首都路易港以南的罗斯希尔镇焚烧了一座警察局，点燃了轮胎，并在全国范围内封锁道路。
On Oct. 12, protesters burnt a police station in Rose Hill, a town south of the capital Port Louis, set tires alight and blocked roads across the country.
根据当局的说法，目前局势已恢复平静，银行和证券交易所已重新开放。
Calm has now been restored, according to the authorities, and banks and the stock exchange are open.
“局势已得到控制，”毛里求斯警察部队在周二早上的一份声明中表示。“所有道路均可通行。”
“The situation is under control,” the Mauritius Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday morning. “All roads are passable.”
开普敦Signal Risk公司的国家风险分析师Zoë McCathie表示：“除非动乱持续，否则旅游业和投资者信心不太可能受到影响。”她补充说：“毛里求斯仍被视为营商友好的环境。”总理纳文钱德拉·拉姆古兰表示，将对枪击事件进行调查，并呼吁保持冷静。
Unless the unrest persists tourism and investor confidence are unlikely to be affected, Zoë McCathie, country risk analyst at Cape Town-based Signal Risk, said. “Mauritius is still seen to have a business friendly environment.”Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said the shooting would be investigated and urged calm.
“我一直坚持要求调查尽快进行，以查明这起悲剧的确切情况并确定责任归属，”他在10月11日说。“在这些痛苦的时刻，愤怒是可以理解的。然而，它不应导致更多悲剧。”他宣布将于当地时间下午2点30分召开紧急内阁会议，讨论局势。
“I have insisted that the investigation proceed as quickly as possible to establish the exact circumstances of this tragedy and determine where responsibility lies,” he said on Oct. 11. “In these painful moments, anger is understandable. However, it must not lead to further tragedies.”He has called an emergency cabinet meeting for 2:30 p.m. local time to discuss the situation.