Potential Hot Spots: February 3, 2001

Archives

Reports indicate that several key members of Zanzibars opposition Civic United Front (CUF) are now in hiding in Kenya. Its unclear if they are officially seeking asylum, but they are fleeing the fighting in Zanzibar.

January 31 , 2001; A series of violent clashes began January 27 on the Tanzanian islands of Zanizibar and Pemba.  Reports indicate that on January 27 and January 28, a total of 14 people were killed. The Tanzanian government sent  police reinforcements from the mainland. Police killed nine people on Pemba and four more on Zanzibars main island,  Unguja Island. The fourteenth person slain was a policemen, who was beheaded with a machete in Pembas main town,  Chake Chake. Later reports indicated Tanzanian police may have shot two more people in a confrontation on January  26. A gunbattle was also reported in the town on Wete, on Pemba. By January 29 the official death toll was 24 people  (police and civilians). The clashes began after government police confronted members of the Civic United Front  (CUF), the opposition party which is demanding new elections. The CUF claims that the islands elections (held in 
October 2000) were fraudulent. The CUF staged some demonstrations in November 2000, and political tension increased.  The CUF maintains the governing Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, also called the Revolutionary Party) stole the elections.  Is there a danger of the trouble in Zanzibar spilling over to the Tanzanian mainland? The Tanzanian government  thinks so. There are reports of a beefed up police presence in mainland cities. (Zanzibar and Pemba are  semi-autonomous, with strong local governments, but the islands defense and security are provided by the national  Tanzanian government.)

 

Article Archive

Potential Hot Spots: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contribute. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   contribute   Close