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Police make arrests after clashes

    JOHANNESBURG

    Zimbabwe police said on Monday they had arrested 27 people after weekend gun battles between supporters of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), news agencies reported. Police Chief Superintendent Wayne Bvudzijena said one person had died in the Beatrice area, 80 km southwest of Harare, at the weekend, but added it was not clear if the death was linked to the violence.

    Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse about 4,000 MDC supporters who had gathered for a rally ahead of next weekend’s by-election for a new member of parliament for Marondera West. The winning candidate will replace the ruling ZANU-PF party’s Rufaro Gwanzura, who died in a car accident a few months ago. ZANU-PF and MDC supporters have blamed each other for the violence which has flared in the Marondera area ahead of the by-election.

    In its latest update on the situation, the MDC said one of its supporters was in a serious condition after war veterans beat him with sticks and hit him on the head with an axe while he and some colleagues were campaigning in the area. “The MDC is outraged at these latest incidents of violence. It seriously jeopardises any hopes that the residents of Marondera West have for a free and fair by-election,” the party said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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