🌟 Good morning! This is 4minit, delivering today’s top stories from Mauritius and around the world.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes ⏳

New here? Subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter!

57 Years, and Now He Leaves: Bérenger Quits MMM

Paul Bérenger co-founded the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) in 1969. On Monday, at 81, he resigned from it. He called the decision “heartbreaking,” describing it as carrying “the weight of a lifetime.” Daughter Joanna Bérenger and party colleague Chetan Baboolall resigned alongside him.

The breaking point: the MMM’s refusal to set any conditions on its participation in the coalition government. Bérenger demanded guarantees the party would actually deliver on its promises. He announced plans for new political movement rooted in workers’ rights, democratic institutions, and electoral reform, writing on Facebook that the combat continues.

In parliament on Tuesday, all three took seats as an independent opposition bloc. MMM president Reza Uteem called it “triste,” saying Bérenger chose not to hear the voice of the militants. By end of day, eight youth wing executives from the Jeunesse Militante had also submitted their resignations.

Nad Sivaramen, director of publications at La Sentinelle, called it “a historic moment.” That may be an understatement.

At 81, he has outlasted more political crises than most politicians see in a career.

Protection Orders Failed 7 of 10 Femicide Victims

Seven of the 10 women killed in domestic violence situations since January 2025 was under active court protection when they died. That number came from parliament on Tuesday, when Minister of Gender Equality Arianne Navarre-Marie responded to a Private Notice Question (PNQ) from opposition leader Joe Lesjongard on femicides and domestic violence.

Navarre-Marie also confirmed the Domestic Abuse Bill will be tabled in the National Assembly within one month. NGO Raise Brave Girls says Protection Orders alone are insufficient. Too easy to violate. Penalties too weak to stop someone already in crisis.

A month for the Bill. Seven women waited longer than that.

PM’s Crisis Committee, and a Warning of Hard Measures Ahead

“Everything has become more expensive. It’s beyond our control.” PM Navin Ramgoolam delivered that message at Tamil New Year celebrations at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute on Tuesday, adding that necessary but difficult measures would follow in the coming days. He confirmed chairing a crisis committee on the economic fallout from the Iran conflict.

Mauritius imports almost everything. Fuel, wheat, fertiliser. A government-to-government deal with India is being negotiated to lock in petroleum and gas supplies at stable prices. PM Ramgoolam left for Republic of Congo Tuesday evening, to attend President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s inauguration on Thursday. Minister Shakeel Mohamed holds the interim for five days.

The Chagos Deal Is Dead

UK Minister Stephen Doughty declared Tuesday that the Chagos agreement is “impossible to conclude at the political level.” Trump’s administration withdrew its backing, and without Washington’s approval, the Diego Garcia bill cannot pass parliament this session. Years of negotiations, finished by a U-turn from Mar-a-Lago.

A Stolen Server, a Cane Field, and a Very Suspicious Trail

A server stolen from Port Louis firm Diamoda Ltd, which carried a Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) attachment order at the time, turned up in a sugarcane field in St-Martin. Investigators believe the theft was designed to destroy financial evidence. They are now probing a possible link between the burglary and NG Holdings, after a cyber attack on a hotel group raised further questions about connected transactions.

📝 SHORTS

SBM ordered to pay Rs 88M to former executive – The Privy Council ruled against SBM Bank, ordering Rs 88 million in compensation to a former executive it had dismissed.

India-Mauritius kidney unit opens at JNH – PM Ramgoolam and Indian Minister Jaishankar opened a new Renal Transplant Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital on Monday.

Silver Bank depositors write to PM – Depositors accuse three former Silver Bank officials of “criminal drift” and call on PM Ramgoolam to intervene in the scandal.

Rs 3M cocaine bust at Plaisance airport – Police arrested a Nigerian national at Plaisance airport on arrival, carrying Rs 3 million worth of cocaine.

Kreol Morisien heading to Cabinet – A proposal to introduce Kreol Morisien in the National Assembly will be submitted to Cabinet within three months.

Mauritius holds 14,044 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), enough for 51 days as of Monday. Three more shipments totalling 23,000 tonnes are confirmed through June, says Commerce Minister Michael Sik Yuen. Not an immediate crisis.

Beef is now selling at over Rs 215 per kilo, up from around Rs 190 just weeks ago. South Africa is dealing with a foot and mouth disease outbreak that closed its export market, and Mauritius sources heavily from there. Butchers say further hikes may follow at month-end when gas-related cost increases compound.

Gold closed at USD 4,827 per ounce on Tuesday, up nearly 10% in a single day, as investors moved into safe assets amid the deepening Iran conflict and Hormuz blockade. Gold was below USD 3,000 a year ago. Bitcoin also climbed, rising 5.5% to USD 74,283.

❤️ Enjoying this 4minit? If you found your way here but are not yet subscribed, let us help you with that:

New here? Subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter!

IMF Cuts Global Growth as Iran War Hammers Sub-Saharan Africa

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1%, raising inflation projections to 4.4%. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) separately confirmed that Middle East oil production has plummeted since the Iran war began. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a harder squeeze: oil import bills are climbing, aid budgets are shrinking, and debt-heavy governments entered this period with limited room to absorb shocks.

Sudan shows the human cost. The UN warned this week that nearly 70% of Sudanese now live in poverty, almost double the pre-war figure, as the conflict enters its third year.

Mauritius is a net oil importer. Every disrupted barrel in the Gulf costs more here too.

Bomb Attacks Shadow Pope Leo XIV’s Algeria Visit

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria to begin an 11-day tour of four African countries, the first papal visit to the country. Twin suicide attacks struck the city of Blida, 50 kilometres southwest of Algiers, on the day of his arrival. Security forces responded. The pontiff completed his Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa before continuing his tour.

He heads to Angola from April 18-20 after his Cameroon stop. The tour centres on Christian-Muslim coexistence.

Benin Gives Wadagni 94% of the Vote

Romuald Wadagni, the outgoing president’s chosen successor, swept Sunday’s Benin presidential election with 94% of the vote, according to provisional results. His challenger, Paul Hounkpé, received the remainder. Official final results are still pending.

94% is the kind of margin that raises more questions than it answers.

Trump Says Iran War “Close to Over,” but the Blockade Holds

No ship has left Iran by sea. Two days in, the US Navy reports all maritime trade is halted in and out of the country. Trump told Fox News the conflict is “close to over,” hinting at a second round of talks possibly hosted in Pakistan, while China called the blockade “irresponsible and dangerous.” Israel and Lebanon held rare direct talks in Washington, though US officials say more time is needed.

Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif is shuttling between Riyadh and Ankara to push for new negotiations. The IMF’s growth cut and rising oil prices are among the blockade’s early consequences.

The last time major shipping routes were this disrupted, food inflation followed within weeks.

Maradona’s Doctors Back in Court, Facing 25 Years

Seven members of Diego Maradona’s medical team are on trial again in Buenos Aires, charged with homicide with possible intent. The first trial collapsed in 2025 after a judge let cameras in for a documentary. Maradona died at 60 in November 2020, recovering from brain surgery. Prosecutors say his care was “grossly negligent.” Guilty means 25 years.

250 Rohingya Feared Dead After Boat Sinks in Andaman Sea

Roughly 250 people are missing after a vessel carrying Rohingya refugees capsized in the Andaman Sea. Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued nine survivors, six of them were alleged traffickers. One survivor said up to 30 people had already died from suffocation and overcrowding before the boat went down. The group had been at sea for four days.

The route exists because the desperation exists. That part hasn’t changed.

Pablo Escobar’s Hippos Are a Problem Now

What happens when a drug lord dies and nobody takes his zoo? Colombia is finding out. Pablo Escobar kept four hippos at his estate, Hacienda Nápoles, in the 1980s. Decades of unchecked breeding later, the population is heading toward 500 by 2030. Colombian authorities approved a culling plan this week, after officials warned the animals are destroying riverside habitats, threatening manatees and river turtles, and outcompeting native species that have no natural response to a 1,500-kilogram creature.

There’s a catch. Locals built livelihoods around hippo tourism: merchandise, tours, postcards. What started as one man’s vanity project became, thirty years on, somebody else’s income. The government’s plan is to cull them anyway.