Mauritius has suffered its worst riots in decades after a woman was shot dead by police

Prime Minister Naveen Ramgoolam imposed the curfew after several days of unrest that initially began due to water shortages.

Police in Mauritius imposed an overnight curfew to quell the worst riots in decades on the Indian Ocean island.

A peaceful protest over water shortages and the high cost of living that began a week ago turned violent on Friday, with police shooting a woman and wounding another woman.

The circumstances of the shooting are unclear, but the officer was later arrested and taken into custody.

Prime Minister Naveen Ramgoolam on Tuesday issued a curfew and warned those "against the interests of the country" which is a hub for tourism and financial services.

In a speech addressed to the nation, he said: "Those who have carried out these actions must face the very heavy consequences that their anti-patriotic actions guarantee."

Protesters burned tires and blocked roads as unrest escalated over the weekend, destroying police stations and other public infrastructure properties.

The unrest forced the closure of schools and public transport, and foreign embassies issued warnings to its nationals to be vigilant.

Despite the curfew, police said several incidents took place during the night and several arrests were made.

But police assured people that by Wednesday morning traffic was moving again across the island and said people should resume their normal activities.

When protests over water shortages first began, the government responded proactively by providing more water to households, according to Zoë McCathie, a Signal Risk analyst based in South Africa.

He told the BBC's Newsday program that the escalation had created a "more unusual situation for the security situation in the country" as the government resorted to school closures and curfews.

He said: "Demonstrations on this scale and to this extent... have not been seen since around 1999. Therefore, the government's response to this issue is logical and necessary in that case."

He said that while the government had managed to "reduce the worst of the unrest", there was still the possibility of protests returning in some areas, as water shortages were expected to continue until the rainy season in December.

The cabinet is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon to reassess the situation and decide on the next course of action.

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