Tanzania police yesterday used live bullets and teargas to disperse people who had gone to a village on the island to register for Identinty card

Bullets fly as police disperse By Njonanje Samwel Pemba crowds
15th September 2009
Pemba Island
Pemba police yesterday used live bullets and teargas to disperse people who had gone to a village on the island to register for Zanzibar residence identity cards.

The incident, which led to panic and subsequently chaos, occurred at Mchangamdogo Village in Micheweni District, Pemba North Region.

Business in the village came to a standstill for most of the day because even after the fracas had ended, groups of local residents were seen discussing what had happened.

However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or arrests.

It all started at around 12:30pm when Pemba North Regional Commissioner Dadi Fakhi Dadi and Regional Police Commander Yahya Hemed as well as Wete District Commissioner Omar Hamis Othman made efforts to get the stalled registration exercise going again.

The three officials did so by dispersing the villagers, most believed to be members of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) and associated with plans to bar their ruling CCM counterparts from taking part in the exercise.

Operating from more than eight vehicles, police fired live bullets in the air. They also used tear gas to disperse the crowds before combing street after street, picking up people interested in registering and taking them back to the registration centre for the purpose.

The rumpus lasted more than three hours and spread to another registration centre in the nearby village of Minungwini.

Vehicles used in the operation included Land Rover PT 0877 for riot police, Land Rover KM 150 for the head of the Zanzibar anti-smuggling unit (KMKM) and two unregistered Toyota Land Cruisers, which carried the Pemba North and Pemba South regional commissioners.

The other vehicles had registration numbers ZNZ MF 6804, in which drove an unidentified military officer, PT 0355 (Pemba North RPC), SMZ 5980, and military truck KM 149, which was used in moving people from their homes to registration centres.

Asked why it was police and government officials overseeing the shuttling of people to registration centres when it would have been upon the people themselves to decide what to do, RC Dadi said that was because CUF members were a stumbling block.

“It is thus only intervention by my office which could have helped these wananchi to make it to the registration centres and take part in the democratic process of registering,” he added.

“We have for the past three days witnessed CUF members stopping their CCM rivals from participating to this process, hence hindering the whole exercise from proceeding as scheduled,” noted the RC.

He said time was running out “and we will use every means possible to ensure that progress is made because we can no longer tolerate this endless mess”. Pemba North RPC Hemed meanwhile defended his decision to sanction the use of live bullets in dispersing the crowds, saying his role was to ensure peace and order prevailed.

“Our role is to forestall any crime-related incidents likely to lead to breaches of the peace by hindering the smooth running of the registration exercise,” he pointed out.

Those who witnessed yesterday’s events included Mkanyageni legislator Mohamed Habib Mnyaa (CUF) and observers from the Norway-based International Law and Policy organisation.

Interviewed by this paper, a visibly irritated Mnyaa said: “By using excessive force, police have put the whole registration exercise in serious jeopardy and practically rendered it null and void. I wonder why we don’t consider the option of seeking intervention by United Nations intervention on the matter.”

He added: “This exercise is partly funded by the UN. It is thus upon the world body to help ensure that its implementation is fully in line with the set terms of reference, the country’s laws and the interests of the people of Zanzibar.”