Civilians beaten and kidnapped as part of major crackdown in Zimbabwe | News from the world

Police and the military have launched a mbadive crackdown in Zimbabwe after what appears to be a widespread collapse of law and order related to food and fuel shortages in this impoverished country.

Access to the Internet and social media was shut down on Wednesday and armed soldiers patrolled the streets of the big cities as unidentified men circulated in the poor neighborhoods of Harare, the capital, and hit people "at random".

Activists, lawyers and other citizens have described a wave of kidnappings in and around Harare. In some poor neighborhoods, groups of young men set up roadblocks and stone the few vehicles on the roads.

Police cells across the city are "full of capabilities", with a large number of men and children.

"The Internet shutdown was [used] to cover a mbadive crackdown, "said Doug Coltart, a lawyer who spoke with more than 30 inmates in Harare Central Prison on Wednesday. Some were children.

"Most said they were abducted at home by masked AK47 men who dragged them outside and beat them up. They are detained without charge or representation, without food or water … The brutality of what is happening is shocking. "

Police cordoned off the city center of Bulawayo (south) following large scale riots and looting. City security forces beat people at home, forcing residents to remove street barricades and shoot looters, local witnesses said. At least one person was shot.

The unrest followed a nationwide strike on Monday by the unions in response to the sharp rise in fuel prices ordered by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a pillar of the ruling party that took power when Robert Mugabe was forced to resign. after a military takeover in November 2017.

Mugabe's 37 years of rule include mbadive unemployment, huge public debts, a serious shortage of foreign exchange and ruined infrastructure.

The desperation of having food has forced some people to venture into the big cities, but virtually all the shops are closed and the gas stations empty. "I went to buy vegetables for my sick mother, and the streets were filled with sullen and hostile young men. They tried to buy me one mango for $ 15, "said a resident of Harare.

Police fired tear gas in the capital after a crowd attempted to invade an open mall to sell bread. The soldiers with AK-47 took charge of the long line.

The Zimbabwean Association of Physicians for Human Rights, a respected NGO, said it had received reports of human rights violations throughout Zimbabwe.

Its members treated more than 100 patients Tuesday afternoon, some with serious injuries. One doctor reported treating at least 30 people with gunshot wounds and 80 victims of serious badault.

Activists working to provide care for victims of political violence said that hundreds of people were injured, but the total number remains unknown because many are too afraid to seek treatment.

"Things are very dark. It's very confusing. Nobody knows what is going on, "said a veteran of human rights.

Eight people, including a police officer, died in clashes Monday, according to human rights defenders.

Mnangagwa travels to Asia and Europe, leaving radical party vice president Constantino Chiwenga at the helm. Chiwenga was blamed for shooting six civilians by soldiers during post-election Zimbabwe opposition protests on July 30, and for a brutal crackdown after the announcement of the results in August.

It is not known who is conducting the raids, but their methods are very similar to those of the security forces during the crackdown that followed the election won by Mnangagwa. This is also It is not known to what extent the disorder and the demonstrations of the past 48 hours have been organized centrally.

On Wednesday, in a message posted on his Facebook account, Mnangagwa said he was saddened by "blind violence and cynical destruction" during protests. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Tuesday evening on state television that the protests were "terrorism" and were "well coordinated" by the opposition.

The crackdown largely targeted the opposition's strongholds, although the leader of the ruling party's youth wing, Zanu-PF, was arrested along with six others for burning buses belonging to the transport company. owned by the state.

Amos Chibaya, a senior figure in Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said "unknown badailants" attacked his home in Harare on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning.

Evan Mawarire, a prominent social media campaigner and pastor, was arrested at his home in Harare on Wednesday morning and charged with inciting violence.

Sending to the Guardian moments before his arrest, Mawarire said armed policemen were mbading in front of his home. "They let in or out only my lawyer," he said.

Residents of Kuwadzana, a poor neighborhood in Harare, said unidentified men had been "door to door". "They broke our windows and then burned our car," said Carol Maguwu, 27.

Relatives of Kinos Shoko, another resident, said that the 56-year-old man was abducted at noon Tuesday by strangers and had returned home at midnight, severely beaten and unable to hear or to speak.