More landmines seized in Pemba
6th August 2009
President Amani Abeid Karume
Zanzibar police yesterday seized 20 landmines at Chake Chake, Pemba, in a continuation of a mysterious series of incidents analysts associate with deep-rooted political rivalry in the Isles.
The development came hardly 24 hours since police dug out two landmines hidden under Pemba bridges in what the authorities believe is evidence of politically motivated sabotage.
South Pemba Regional Police Commander Said Marekano hinted that someone or groups of people yet to be identified may have planned to use the TNT-type landmines to bomb strategic locations in the clove island.
“We got these explosives – which are usually used in the crushing of rocks. They were stored at Meli Tano area in Chake Chake, Pemba,” he said, thanking “wananchi” who tipped them off.
“We involved Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces experts in locating the explosives. They are the ones who positively identified them as dynamite commonly used in the blasting of rocks,” he added.
Marekano explained that they had also seized a device for setting off bombs and were continuing with investigations.
He said police had further learnt that a group of people yet to be identified had lined themselves up yesterday to blow up the road linking Chake Chake and Wete townships using the seized dynamites “but, fortunately, we have foiled the move.
He called on members of the public to alert the law-enforcement agencies on any person or development they suspect to be associated with illegal activities.
On Tuesday police said they had found and dug out landmines planted under two Pemba Island bridges.
The Zanzibar government has, meanwhile, issued a statement describing the two incidents as amounting to sabotage. It has linked them to “an ongoing scheme to plant landmines in sensitive areas”.
Machano Othman Said, Minister of State for Communication and Transportation, issued the statement when briefing the press about the landmines on Tuesday.
He said that law-enforcement agents found the bombs on bridges at Piki and Meli Tano in North Pemba Region. Piki Bridge links Wete and Chakechake townships through the old road.
In another development linked to the Pemba landmines scare, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) has indefinitely put on hold the registration of voters for next year’s general election.
ZEC Director Salum Kassim Ali cited poor security at most registration stations in Pemba and the need to avoid a recurrence of disputes as the reasons for the postponement.
“The security situation is not conducive for the exercise to continue,” he said, adding that they would meet later to plan the way forward.
Ali said Ole constituency in North Pemba Region was the worst hit in terms of political disputes during the registration exercise.
However, North Pemba Regional Commissioner Dadi Faki Dadi said he was “shocked” by the measure taken by the electoral commission.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Defence and Security Committee chairman Wilson Masilingi led his team in talks with Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume yesterday on the state of security in the Isles. They later proceeded to Pemba for an eyewitness account of the situation there.
No comments:
Post a Comment