Zimbabwe opposition calls for support
The leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition movement today urged western countries to redouble efforts to return real democracy to the African state in the wake of an attack on political rally.
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, told how he was addressing a meeting in northern Harare yesterday when men arrived in trucks and attacked the crowd.
He suggested that the attackers were supporters of Zanu-PF, the party of President Robert Mugabe.
Mr Tsvingirai told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “A group of about eight trucks came to the place and started attacking the crowd. In the melee we drove off and escaped the clashes.
“There was an average of 10-15 people per truck. They were armed with axes, picks, stones. They were throwing missiles at the crowd.
“It is a disturbing trend of things to come. This has come just after the regime has announced that it is going to implement electoral reforms, to make the next election free and fair.
“What we would like the international community to do is to put pressure on the Mugabe regime to ensure that the next elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
“Also, I think that tightening the sanctions that have been implemented will help bring to the attention of this regime that it is engaged in a futile exercise."
