The Port-Louis suburbs were the scene of unrest and conflict at the end of last week. Tension between rival gangs and the exasperation of inhabitants with drug trafficking in the region led to brawls and damaged cars with rival gangs confronting each other at Cité La Cure and Karo Kalyptis.

Multiple power failures increased the tension in the suburbs where the only lights were from the flashing police-cars. Fortunately 40 members of the Special Supporting Unit were able to calm things down but an 18 year-old boy was injured.

While inhabitants complain about an increase in drug trafficking in their region, the deputy commissioner of police, Ramparsad Sooroojbally says it?s the opposite which is true. Most drug- users are having withdrawal symptoms and go around the suburbs looking for their doses.

Moreover, the price of drugs has gone up, which adds to the tense atmosphere in Karo Kalyptis and Cité La Cure. Drugs are not as ?pure? as they used to be ? 6% against 2% now. As a result, some drug users feel they are being abused by traffickers and want to sort them out. The coordinator of the National Agency for the Treatment & Rehabilitation of Substance Abusers is of the same opinion: there is a lack of drugs on the market at the moment.

Inhabitants have the feeling they are unsafe and they took to the streets to make the authorities understand that they can?t live in such an atmosphere anymore ? with, they say, drug traffickers dealing under the noses of everyone. ?As soon as members of the Anti Drug Smuggling Unit go away, they start their business again.?

After a meeting with certain local organisations, the inhabitants decided to express their discontent in the streets. Gang fights and drug traffickers are all unfortunately part of their daily lives and they are asking the police to do something to change this.

At the beginning of last week, a woman denounced alleged drug traffickers to the police. Soon afterwards, she had to leave her house with her son because it had been sacked. The alleged traffickers came to her place with wooden clubs and long knives. This was the last straw for these inhabitants who can?t stand to living in such a frightening atmosphere anymore.

Even though the situation got back to normal, people at Cité La Cure and Karo Kalyptis fear that it might degenerate again and have asked for the area to be cleansed of all traffickers.