Zanzibar is 'ticking'
2005-03-11 18:09
Dar Es Salaam - Tanzania's main opposition party warned Friday of a political "time bomb" on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar after weekend clashes there between its supporters and those of the government.
"Zanzibaris are now sitting on a time bomb," said Seif Shariff Hamad, the secretary general of the Civic United Front (CUF). "If it explodes, the consequences are beyond imagination."
Hamad, speaking a news conference here, accused the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM - Revolutionary Party) of fomenting the disturbances in a bid to secure victory in upcoming general elections through intimidation.
He said retiring President Benjamin Mkapa's CCM was colluding with the government in establishing camps to train young militants to cause chaos in the run up to the October 30 vote.
"The youth attending special training in the camps are being indoctrinated with the politics of hate," Hamad said.
At least 26 people were wounded and three vehicles and offices belonging to the CUF destroyed last Sunday when opposition and CCM supporters clashed after political rallies on Zanzibar.
On Monday, police arrested 18 people suspected of involvement in the violence in raids that opposition supporters said caused physical injuries and property damage.
Police blamed the riots - which appeared similar to violence on the island in the run-up to elections in 2000 - on political leaders inciting their supporters to extremes to boost support ahead of the polls.
The CCM and CUF blamed each other for Sunday's unrest with each alleging that other was intent on sabotaging the so-called "Muafaka Accord" they signed in 2001 to prevent a recurrence of violence.
On Friday, Hamad said the early morning post-riot police raids were part of a CCM campaign to harass innocent opposition supporters and alleged that the Zanzibar Electoral Commission was flouting regulations to benefit the CCM.
"This is totally unacceptable," he said. "Police are trying to instil fear among the people, while the electoral commission is planning to disrupt the elections."
He accused election officials of registering people as young as 10 years old to vote in the polls and maintained the CCM, which has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961, was using the commission to ensure it remained in power.