Dashing Harbor: Mauritius may face a new wave of unrest
The situation in Mauritius remains tense, with authorities extending the curfew until October 18. Izvestia was informed in the expert community that the country's leadership is likely to restrain the protests by law enforcement forces. The reason for the large-scale demonstrations was the rising cost of living and an acute shortage of water. The unrest is still on the decline, but its possible intensification could affect international trade: Port Louis has become an important refueling point for ships bypassing Africa, and the island nation is one of the world leaders in exporting laboratory primates for medical research.
What is happening in Mauritius right now
The authorities of Mauritius are restoring order after several days of mass unrest. To date, the police have managed to unblock all roads, but checkpoints and reinforced patrols remain on the streets. A total of 150 people have been detained across the island since October 13, and the curfew has been extended until October 18.
The security forces are also checking the network of messenger groups through which the pogroms were coordinated. One of these chats called "Burning Paradise" had about 630 participants.
The protests began on October 5 due to water supply disruptions in some areas and the rising cost of living on the island. On October 9, the situation worsened after a policeman injured a 27-year-old participant in the rally. A wave of violence against law enforcement officers swept through the country, discontented staged arson and pogroms. The country has not seen such performances since 1999.
In early October, the reservoirs of Mauritius were filled by only 57%, compared with 87% a year earlier. The shortage has already led to the fact that in some areas water is supplied only a few hours a day, sometimes every other day. This complicates the daily life of the population and the work of enterprises. Prolonged drought can also affect agriculture and tourism.
Instability in Mauritius poses risks to global trade as well. The island is located in the Indian Ocean near the routes between Asia, Africa and Europe. The main harbor of this state, Port Louis— is used for container transshipment, as well as for supplying ships with fuel, their maintenance and transshipment of goods.
In the fiscal year 2024-2025, almost 720 thousand containers passed through the port. During the same period, about 3 thousand ships refueled there. And that was before the crisis in the Middle East, after which the importance of Port Louis increased many times. Due to shipping violations in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, carriers began to choose a route around the Cape of Good Hope more often. Along the way, there was also a port in Mauritius, which became one of the refueling points. As a result, in March 2026, the number of ships that stopped here increased by 42% compared to February. If new unrest affects the port infrastructure or access roads, it may lead to delays in cargo transshipment and maintenance of water transport.
The island is also known for its role as an international financial hub. Many companies and investment centers are registered on it, through which investments are made in Africa and Asia. This provides 13% of Mauritius' GDP. Any prolonged instability in Mauritius can affect investment attractiveness and cause an outflow of funds.
The island nation has another unusual role in the global economy. The Republic of Mauritius is the largest exporter of laboratory primates, which are used in medical research, including in the development of vaccines and the testing of new drugs. We are talking primarily about long-tailed macaques, which are supplied to laboratories in the USA and Europe.
In 2025, Mauritius exported almost 15,000 of these primates. In the first half of 2026 alone, more than 7,000 more animals were sent abroad. New unrest, if it disrupts the operation of the airport or macaque breeding facilities, could lead to supply delays for foreign pharmaceutical companies.
Laura Chkonia, a researcher at the MGIMO Africa in the Focus of Russian Interests program, noted in an interview with Izvestia that Mauritius traditionally has a reputation as a safe haven on the African continent. The situation will be resolved either by finding compromises and agreements, or by suppressing protests by the authorities, the analyst noted.
The impact of unrest on tourism
The consequences of the unrest may affect the tourism industry. This is one of the main sources of income for Mauritius. It accounts for about 9% of GDP. The island nation is visited annually by about 1.4 million tourists, who bring about $2.2 billion to the economy.
A significant number of Russians travel to Mauritius. In 2025, 30 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited it, in the first half of 2026 - 16.9 thousand. The interest is connected with the growing popularity of island vacations among our compatriots, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), told Izvestia. According to him, travelers are attracted by the unique nature, a large selection of hotels and sightseeing programs. At the same time, despite the riots, the island's guests have not yet encountered serious problems.
— Tourists from Russia continue to come to us. Despite the fact that there are no direct flights, Mauritius remains a fairly popular holiday destination, as it is a visa—free country, despite the fact that holidays here are quite expensive," Russian Ambassador to Mauritius Irada Zeynalova told Izvestia, noting that there had been no complaints from injured or attacked tourists in recent days..
The diplomatic mission constantly monitors the situation and maintains contact with travel companies, the Russian diaspora and other compatriots on the island. Emergency telephones are available for Russian citizens. The situation remains calm in the hotel areas.
— Nothing happens in the hotel area. There are police posts there, the situation is being monitored, and it already depends on the hotel security service. We are not aware of any cases of attacks specifically in the hotel area that would exceed the average figures," Zeynalova explained. — Reasonable precautions and common sense are what Russian tourists should start from now, being on the island and intending to fly there.
Neither the lack of direct flights nor the riots have yet affected the interest of Russians in Mauritius. However, the impact of the protests on demand can only be judged by new data on bookings and trips. The authorities managed to bring the situation under control, but the problem remained.
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