Hundreds of police armed with automatic weapons, batons and
water cannon have been deployed in Zimbabwe as tensions rise before planned
opposition protests on Friday.
Police trucks filled the streets of the capital, Harare,
using loudhailers to warn residents “you will rot in jail” if they participate
in the demonstrations, while teams searched vehicles at checkpoints on roads
leading into the city.
Authorities appear to have been rattled by the planned
protests, which have been organised by the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), the main opposition party, to protest against the deteriorating economy.
In recent months millions have been hit by soaring prices
of food and fuel, while foreign exchange shortages have led to a lack of vital
medicines and other goods.
Police said they have evidence that the demonstrations will
be violent.
“Security services will not fold hands and allow violence,
destruction of poverty, intimidation, threats and clandestine night acts of
violent agitation to take centre stage,” said a spokesman, who claimed police
had recovered a stash of slingshots and catapults to be used in the protests.
The MDC said its protest wold be peaceful. Party officials
told the Guardian that the stones had been planted in a bid to smear the
opposition.
The first rally will be held in Harare, and then in five
regional centres.
“It’s all systems go, we are emphatically clear that on
Friday we are going ahead in Harare,” the MDC party’s spokesperson, Daniel
Molekele, told a press conference.
The protests come more than 18 months since Emmerson
Mnangagwa took power after a military takeover ousted the veteran ruler Robert
Mugabe in November 2017. Mnangagwa then went on to win a closely fought and
contested election promising investment, transparency and “good days ahead” for
the former British colony.
There are widespread fears that any unrest will prompt a
brutal crackdown. In August last year six people were killed by troops deployed
to clear the centre of Harare after an opposition rally against alleged vote
rigging. In January, 13 died and hundreds were raped or beaten as security
forces quelled unrest following a hike in fuel prices.
Six anti-government activists have been abducted and
tortured in recent days, according to human rights groups. The activists were
taken from their homes at night by armed men in unmarked cars, accused of
involvement in the protests, stripped, beaten and then abandoned.
Amnesty international criticised “an escalating crackdown
against human rights defenders, activists, civil society leaders and members of
the opposition, including abductions and torture.”
So far, authorities have refused to approve this week’s
planned marches and Cain Mathema, minister for home affairs, has warned the
police are ready to deal with “unruly elements who want to cause alarm and
despondency in the country”.
Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu-PF party, which holds a majority in
parliament, is pushing through the maintenance of peace and order bill – which
the opposition and human rights activists describe as very harsh. Parliament
met through the night to pass the controversial legislation.
On Thursday, the president urged the opposition to engage
in dialogue.
“Our strongest asset is our unity. I reiterate my calls to
all opposition leaders that my door remains open [and] my arms remain
outstretched. Riots [and] destructive violence must be rejected; peaceful
constructive dialogue are the way forward,” he said in a statement.
Nick Mangwana, the permanent secretary at the information
ministry, issued a statement blaming an unidentified “third force” for the
attacks.
“Since the emergence of the [new government], there has
always been a force comprised of discharged and disgruntled former members of
the old establishment [who] have shown a determination to impair [the
president’s] image through acts of malice and criminality to cause both local
and international outrage,” said Mangwana on Twitter.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, a coalition of rights
groups, said it believed state security agents were responsible for the latest
abductions and beatings, which have forced some activists to go into hiding.
Obert Masaraure, the leader of a union representing 30,000
teachers in impoverished rural areas, said he had been forced to flee his home
after “state agents” visited.
“No one is safe at the moment. The regime is baying for
blood,” said Masaraure, who has been arrested five times since December and has
been charged with subversion.
Zimbabwe is crippled by massive debts incurred during
Mugabe’s rule and needs a multibillion-dollar bailout to prevent economic
collapse. However, continuing repression and a lack of tangible political
reform mean there is little chance of international institutions offering major
aid packages. Guardian
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