The Sanaa Festival organized by the Mamoudzou Town Hall ended this Saturday evening, but unfortunately not in good conditions. At the end of the evening, brawls broke out while rapper Niska was on stage.
It was a night of fear experienced by the spectators present at the Sanaa Festival this Saturday, September 3, in Mamoudzou. The evening went in full swing, in a good atmosphere without any particular incidents until the arrival of the eagerly awaited rapper Niska on the stage. The audience was in all its states cheering loud and clear, but unfortunately this moment of sharing lasted less than five minutes. Just as the artist was about to start his second song, an incident occurred in the ditch and created a panic effect.
Ambdilwahedou Soumaïla, Mayor of Mamoudzou • ©Raïnat Aliloiffa
There were a few young people bumping into each other.
Ambdilwahedou Soumaïla, Mayor of Mamoudzou
Those present were startled and ran in all directions, creating a mass movement. In a panic, everyone tried to save themselves somehow.
The gendarmes and police present at the scene quickly released tear gas to disperse the crowd. Some people reportedly passed out as a result. “To date, the fire department has found ten injured by tear gas,” assures the mayor of the municipality. However, he admits that it is still too early to make an accurate assessment of the number of injuries and the damage.
This event was the start of a night of clashes between police and groups of armed criminals scattered in the municipality of Mamoudzou from Kaweni to Tsoundzou.
Four vehicles were destroyed on the M’gombani side.
recognizes Ambdilwahedou Soumaïla
But again, the number is likely to change.
The Sanaa Festival brought together “2,600 people on the first day, 14,000 on the second and more than 15,000 on the third day,” according to Mamoudzou’s first magistrate. After the events of this Saturday evening, many are wondering about the security system. Was it big enough considering the number of people that came to the concert?
We knew there would be more people yesterday, so we doubled the number of officers searching the entrance. I wouldn’t call it a security breach, but what happened inside sparked a mass movement that spread.
says, Ambdilwahedou Soumaïla
According to a police source, 4 people were arrested and taken into custody after these riots. An investigation is being launched into “participating in an armed crowd and carrying a weapon”. And investigations are being conducted to try to find the other perpetrators. »