Tens of thousands people protested again in Mauritius on Saturday, over the government’s handling of a giant oil spill, which has become the region’s worst environmental disaster, after a bulk carrier spilled fuel into the water last month.
It was 25 July 2020, when the MV Wakashio ran aground and then broke in two on a coral reef off Mauritius, resulting in a major environmental pollution in the pristine area.
The protest follows a peaceful march in Port Louis last month, when nearly one-tenth of the population of Mauritius expressed their outrage over the dozens of dead dolphins weeks that washed out after the spill, although it remains unclear if these relate to the accident.
Saturday’s protests took place in Mahebourg, one of the most affected villages, where people called for top officials to step down. The island nation of Mauritius relies heavily on tourism which is now also severely affected by the pandemic.
Last week, Japanese shipping company MOL, the operator of the ill-fated bulk carrier, announced 1 billion yen ($9.42 million) on measures to support Mauritius, including clean-up and contribution to an environmental recovery fund, in cooperation with the government of Japan.
Latest reports say the grounding related “to the birthday celebration of one of the crew members”, the Panama Maritime Authority said, or mishandling of a navigational chart.
