Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis is quickly shattering into an all-out civil war as hyper-inflation prompts small military insurrections and turns peaceful protests into riots within the basket-case African dictatorship.
A staggering 231-million percent inflation rate has prompted the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to issue 100 million and 200 million Zimbabwean dollar notes and limit bank withdrawals to 500 Zimbabwean dollars, or 25 US cents, a day. Hundreds of thousands of families have been broken down by state-created poverty and starvation.
Uniformed soldiers rioted for the first time in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare last week after their bank ran out of money. About 70 Mugabe regime foot soldiers clashed with Harare police, breaking storefront windows and looting their contents during the chaos. The soldiers then turned their anger on black market foreign currency traders, beating and robbing the men they blame for the economic catastrophe.
One source reports that the riot is part of an ongoing power struggle within Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu PF. “They are all fighting for resources to take control, and how would they (soldiers) feel when they see commanders driving Q7s, yet they can’t access their salaries in the banks” said the source. Foreign currency dealers at Road Port are believed to be Zanu PF militia working for the country’s Central Bank to finance party activities against internal Zanu PF factions.
16 soldiers who participated in the uprising were found guilty of treason by a makeshift court and executed early Tuesday morning, sources report. Three other soldiers died from torture before their trial. Zimbabwean officials have been told they will be held responsible if repeats of last week’s military insurrection occurs.
Riot police also beat on peaceful protesters organised by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in Harare last week. The weekly protests were held to call for a transitional authority that would address the crisis and re-write the Zimbabwean constitution. Riot police “fired tear gas into the protesters and started beating people,” NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa explained. “It led to running battles with the police and it ended in chaos.” Chivasa said that at least 22 people were seriously injured by the police, including one woman who suffered a miscarriage.
Mugabe henchmen have also arrested more than 70 union members from The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) who were protesting limits on bank withdraws. Included in the nationwide arrests is the union’s secretary general, who was addressing members at the time of his incarceration.
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