Mayhem in Mwanza

Friday, 08th July 2011

Evidence of the bloody clashes that erupted in parts of downtown Mwanza yesterday morning, including looting and police officers pursuing small traders who ran riot and pelted them with stones.

Bloody clashes erupted here yesterday after police moved in to stop small traders doing business in parts of the city’s central business district. At the end of it all, at least four people lay injured and several vehicles and other property destroyed or massively damaged.

People cashed on the mayhem to embark on a looting rampage, as some of the vehicles destroyed were set ablaze as some motorists other residents near the scenes of the clashes fled for their dear lives.

The small traders ran amuck, protesting their being forcibly barred from conducting business in parts of the city allegedly without notice.

Mwanza Regional Police Commander Simon Sirro later order his officers out of the area of the violent clashes, saying the onus was on CCM and Chadema to end the skirmishes as it was their differences that were behind the chaos.

Efforts to reach Sekou Toure (regional) Hospital doctor-in-charge Onesmo Lwakyembela for details on the state of the people hurt and rushed there failed, with reports saying he was busy performing surgery. However, sources at the hospital said some of those wounded had gunshot wounds, apparently suffered from bullets fired by police officers in self-defence.

A nurse at the hospital named those rushed there as including Juma and Pastory Brighton (25), who were later referred to Bugando Hospital, as well as Kelvin Jeremiah (16) and Omary Abdallah (25).

The clashes erupted yesterday morning near the city’s main market and soon spread to a number of other downtown areas such as Lumumba, Rwegasore and Nyerere streets, lasting for several hours.

Sources said police officers and members of the city militia were earlier conducting patrols in areas declared out of bounds for small traders, and the traders would not have any of that and soon started pelting the security personnel with stones.

They added that the police officers sensed greater danger and fired tear gas canisters to disperse the enraged traders, later resorting to live bullets as they sought an escape route.

According to the sources, they also stormed into shops and made away with an assortment of goods, later also smashing the glass windows to Gwarudwara Singh Subha mosque along Lumumba Street. They also stormed into a local hospital, broke the windows of vehicles parked nearby, crushed a standby generator, leaving patients terrified.

It was further reported that the traders also crushed the door to a shop belonging to Zara Solar Limited along Nyerere Road and grabbed chairs, vehicle batteries and various other items alongside dismantling the safe and making away with an undisclosed amount of money.

The owner of the shop, Mohamed Papia, confirmed the incident but explained that it was too early for him to give exact details on the loss he suffered.

He recalled that Mwanza chairman of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) had advised the government to allocate special areas in the city centre for small traders to conduct their business “but the advice was ignored”.

RPC Sirro arrived at the scene of the chaos within minutes to try and calm the rioting traders down but to no avail. Instead, the traders yelled at him, saying they first wanted to know the fate of their injured colleagues.

Addressing journalists shortly after leaving the scene, Sirro said he had decided to pull his officers out after realising that Mwanza City Council comprised members from political parties with conflicting interests - namely, the ruling CCM and the opposition Chadema.

He adint

ded that, under the circumstances, it was upon the two sides to find a solution to the problems that had led to the clashes.