Zimbabwean activists flee as repression of demonstrations raises specter of Mugabe era | News from the world

Hundreds of militants remain hidden in Zimbabwe on the fifth day of the worst government crackdown since the ouster of Mugabe.

Unidentified soldiers and gunmen carried out door-to-door searches in poor slums in the cities on Friday, dragging "random" residents out of their homes, where they would be beaten and often detained, activists said. The Zimbabwean Association of Physicians for Human Rights reported handling 68 cases of gunshot wounds and more than 100 other "badaults with sharp objects, kicked feet, baton sticks" and more in recent days .

Security forces have arrested between 400 and 600 suspects since Monday, at the start of a national "stay home" protest convened by the unions after a mbadive increase in the price of gasoline Monday, said NGOs knowledgeable. Twelve people reportedly died after being shot.

"I simply move from house to house every day to try to limit my contacts and not tell anyone where I am. I'm trying to stay ahead of intelligence and spies … It's a very difficult time, "said an activist who publicly supported the protests, speaking over the phone from an unknown location in Zimbabwe Friday night.

A large number of detainees are detained without charge in overcrowded prisons and police cells. Some may face new fast-track trials ordered earlier this week on charges that can lead to long prison terms. Four hundred detainees, mostly accused of breach of public order, were presented in batches of 50 to magistrates in Harare on Friday afternoon and denied bail.

Although some are prominent trade unionists and organizers in the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), many are ordinary people trained in the biggest security operation ever seen in Zimbabwe since many years.

Pastor Evan Marawire, a top social media activist arrested on Wednesday, told reporters that while he was being brought to a court of law, the crackdown was evocative of the times of Mugabe.

Mugabe's authoritarian rule, which lasted 37 years, ended in November 2017 with an army takeover, raising general optimism about the end of the repression of previous decades.

But any hope of political reform under Emmerson Mnangagwa, the ruling party of the ruling Zanu-PF party that took power and won the elections in July, has been extinguished. The crisis has provoked strong criticism from Western powers and will undermine Zimbabwe's efforts to join the international community after decades as an outcast.

Mnangagwa is currently traveling to Central Asia, Russia and Europe to try to mobilize support and international investment that could prevent the total collapse of the country's economy. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a terrorist accused of killing six civilians at protests a few days after last year's elections, is in command.

"They must have anticipated what was going to happen, so we suspect it's part of a good cop, bad cop routine. Chiwenga can treat [the protests] Drek Matyszak, an badyst in Harare, said Derek Matyszak, an badyst, with a heavy hand, then Mnangagwa can say, "Very sorry, we'll have an investigation."

Marawire, who denied bail on Friday, faces the same charges of inciting violence and subversion as he did two years ago, before Mugabe resigned. He said that he was innocent.

He announced the demonstration Sunday in a video clip alongside Peter Mutasa, president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). Mutasa, a virulent critic of the new government, has had no news since Tuesday, when he contacted colleagues to tell them that his house had been raided.

"We are worried about Peter and hope that he has not been arrested," said Tiri Marimo, a senior ZCTU official. Marawire's sister, Telda, said he discussed with him the possible consequences of his brother's actions this weekend.

"Prison conditions are deplorable and can even break the strongest man. It's a scary thing for him. He worried a lot about how that would happen, but he was convinced that he could not remain silent, "she said.

Deputy Minister of Information, Energy Mutodi, said the police had "initially applied minimal force to disperse marauding crowds" before stepping up his response to end "a wave of looting." by hooligans ".

Mugabe's government left Zimbabwe with huge debts, ruined infrastructure and rising unemployment, especially among young people. Most of its 16 million people live from day to day or survive on remittances from the vast diaspora.

The rise in fuel prices, of about 250%, is the latest shock for millions of citizens increasingly unable to buy commodities such as fuel, food and medicine.

Inflation is 40% – its highest rate since hyperinflation forced Zimbabwe to abandon its own currency 10 years ago in favor of dollars, electronic cash and "bonds" issued by the central bank.

"People came to the streets spontaneously and angrily, which is rare in Zimbabwe. What then seems to have happened is that the activists have come together to try to challenge that anger, "said Matyszak. The answer "was a continuation of Mugabe's style of dealing with dissent".

The southern city of Bulawayo was hit hard by looting and rioting earlier this week. Although public disorder has been limited since Wednesday, few residents have ventured into the streets patrolled by armed soldiers unless they are desperate.

"It becomes very complicated. People are short of food, but there have been almost no deliveries of bread. There are very long queues to get any sort of thing. A lot of people also need medicine. So everyone is scared, "said a city activist.

In Harare, the atmosphere was quieter than the previous days, but the police still controlled the waiting lines for food and fuel, while the wounded arrived at a private hospital in the capital.

Joelson Mugari, an MDC organizer, said a group of 10 men, including two soldiers, badaulted him after knocking on his door Friday morning at 7:30 in Ngwenya, a suburb of Harare.

"They told me," It's up to you to organize the trip and we'll teach you a lesson. "Then they started to beat me in the head," said Mugari, who was treated secretly in a clinic in Harare.

Politicians of the traditional opposition seem to have been caught off guard by the crisis.

Mutodi said the government was temporarily blocking the internet to prevent protesters from making organized movements and inflammatory statements encouraging the looting and burning of police stations. "We advised them not to take part in the demonstrations, but the young people, victims of addiction, were forced to participate … and the consequences were serious," he said.

Officials described the "terrorists" as those responsible for looting and blocking roads in major cities with makeshift barricades earlier this week.

Activists say the responsibility for the crisis lies with the authorities. "Those who took to the streets during the closure were young people who see no hope for their future," said Samm Farai Monro. "The government can turn off the Internet but not the frustrations of millions of people."