Police kill 18 during machete-wielding demo

Eighteen opposition demonstrators have been killed during two days of violence on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.

Eighteen opposition demonstrators have been killed during two days of violence on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.

Police said they fired live ammunition in self-defence against the protesters who were armed with machetes, bows, petrol bombs and stones.

A policeman also died after being beheaded with machetes by demonstrators during running battles with supporters of the Civic United Front, police chief Laurean Tibasana said.

Scores of people were also injured and 187 people arrested, he added.

Tibasana’s statement today was the first official police comment since the violence began on the semi-independent Tanzanian island on Friday.

Yesterday, senior CUF official Nassor Seif said that 24 people, including the policeman had been killed.

However, he said it was possible that some of the injured had been buried immediately after dying at their homes before police were informed. Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, and under Islam, it is customary to bury the dead within 24 hours of their death.

The weekend’s violence began when police used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse hundreds of CUF supporters protesting over recent elections on the popular tourist destination 20 miles off the Tanzanian coast.

The October 29 vote, described as fundamentally flawed by international observers, was marred by violence, as well as allegations of ballot-rigging and police intimidation.

The CUF refused to recognize the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party’s victory and protested when the CCM-picked electoral commission ruled that there would only be a partial rerun.

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