1968 Mauritian riots
| 1968 Mauritian religious and race riots | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 January 1968 |
| Location | Plaine Verte & Cité Martial , Port Louis 20°09′37″S 57°30′54″E / 20.16028°S 57.51500°E |
| Caused by | ethic tension declaration of independence |
| Methods | Race riots, looting, protests, street fights. |
| Resulted in | Unconfirmed number of dead Hundreds injured Thousands driven from their homes. |
| History of Mauritius |
|---|
|
| Portuguese |
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| Dutch |
|
| French (1710–1810) |
| British (1810–1968) |
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| Independence (1968) |
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| Specific themes |
The 1968 Mauritian riots or Bagarre raciale Plaine Verte refers to a number of violent clashes that occurred in the Port Louis neighbourhoods of Cité Martial, Bell Village, Roche Bois, Sainte-Croix, Cité Martial and Plaine Verte as well as in the village of Madame Azor near Goodlands in Mauritius over a period of ten days, six weeks before the country's declaration of independence on 12 March 1968.
The riot manifested as an open communal conflict between Creoles and Indo-Mauritian Muslims, and had its roots in gang rivalry, communal tensions caused by politicians, and uncertainties about the country's future given the imminence of independence from Britain.