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Several people were killed during demonstrations in Zimbabwe after the government had more than doubled the price of gasoline overnight.
Hundreds of others were arrested as protesters descended into the streets of Harare and Bulawayo.
Burning tires were used to block roads and block bus routes.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said rising fuel prices were intended to address shortages caused by increased fuel consumption and "widespread" illegal trade.
The government of Zimbabwe is trying to revive the troubled economy of the country.
Inflation is high as wages stagnate.
The Minister of Security, Owen Ncube, confirmed that there had been deaths but did not give a figure.
He accused opposition figures and political rights groups of violence and said that an investigation was underway.
The country of southern Africa is facing a serious shortage of US dollars and confidence in its obligations, supposed to have the same value as the dollar, is low.
Bond notes, or "bollars", have lost value because of the lack of foreign currency on the note, and are now worth much less than a dollar.
Zimbabwean firms also do not produce enough to meet local demand or earn foreign exchange by exporting goods. Instead, the country imports more than it exports and has trouble paying.
In Harare, most businesses are closed as a result of calls by unions and opposition for a three-day strike on the increase in the price of gasoline.
Riot police have been deployed in the capital and in the southern city of Bulawayo.
People "sponsor" troubles
In a televised speech on Saturday, President Mnangagwa said rising fuel prices would solve the current fuel shortage problems, which saw motorists queuing for hours at gas stations.
He added that the government would crack down on "the elements determined to take advantage of the current fuel shortage to provoke and sustain unrest and instability in the country".
The increase means that gasoline prices rose from $ 1.24 per liter to $ 3.31, and diesel prices rose from $ 1.36 per liter to $ 3.11.
The main trade union body, the Zimbabwe Trade Union Congress (ZCTU), has accused the government of lacking empathy for the poor, the AFP news agency reported.
In the capital, Harare, hundreds of people from the suburbs of Epworth have blocked roads to prevent buses from getting to their destination.
"People are now protesting the situation, people are suffering," a protester told Shingai Nyoka of the BBC in Harare.
"Where is the president?
He added that the government does not seem to have any solutions to their problems and has called for withdrawal.
Many protesters said that the president – who left the country on Sunday for a trip to Russia and several countries in Central Asia – should have canceled his trip to face the crisis.
In Bulawayo, protesters attacked minibuses heading for the city center and used burning tires and rocks to block the main roads leading to the city. Some schools have repressed students fearing for their safety, according to AFP.
"We want Mnangagwa to know our dissatisfaction with his failure," AFP spokesman Mthandazo Moyo said angrily.
"[Former President] Mugabe was mean but he listened, "he added.
Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the main opposition movement, the Movement for Democratic Change, said: "We have a national crisis that is turning into a humanitarian crisis."
Mr. Mnangagwa came to power in November 2017 after the resignation of his former leader, Robert Mugabe, as a result of an army takeover and mbad protests.
Last year, he won a controversial poll that was marked by violence and accusations of electoral fraud.
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