Mining town looted by youths

Mererani, a township that neighbours the Tanzanite mines in northern Tanzania, was looted by youths from the region, resulting in millions of shillings worth of damage, officials told IRIN this week.

According to Awadh Omar, chairman of the Mererani village government, over 300 youths entered the town on Monday, initially demanding the immediate reopening of the tanzanite mines and then looting the town, causing an estimated 20,000,000 Tanzanian shillings (US $20,000) worth of damage.

"They ordered the government to reopen the mines that have been closed since the accident that killed about 40 miners," Omar said. "After complaining of having no food or money, they started stealing goods from the shops before disappearing into the mountains again. The damage is huge."

Order was restored after the police were reinforced by members of the Field Force Unit (FFU) which was called in from Arusha, and 24 of the youths were arrested. Earlier reports that the Appolos, as these groups are popularly known, had numbered 4,000 and that they had raped women in the town were false, Omar added.

Twenty-one people have been charged on two counts, the first for unlawful gathering and the second for looting.

The closure of at least 60 of the small-scale artisanal mines, pending an investigation and the implementation of new safety procedures, has left large numbers of youths unemployed in the region, mining sources said.

Following the accident last month, small-scale mining operators, whose pits are notoriously dangerous to work in, were given a 30-day ultimatum improve the safety conditions for those working in their pits, or else face permanent closure.