Ruling party militia set up bases ahead of Zimbabwe election-eight more killed in political violence

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Ruling party militants set up at least 22 militia bases across Zimbabwe to launch violent government-backed forays into surrounding voter districts, an alliance of independent human rights groups claimed Tuesday

The Human Rights Forum said organized political violence continued without decline throughout the country in the first 16 days this month, leaving at least eight people dead.

"In most cases victims are abducted to bases ... these bases are springboards for militia operating in the area and also serve as torture centers," said the forum, an umbrella group of 11 church and non-governmental organizations.

"I really don't think I even want to get into that kind of rubbish," Moyo told The Associated Press.

In the past the government has brushed off allegations of violence. They have called the opposition terrorists and said they are responsible for violence.

According to the human rights groups, the militia bases were on farms, in townships and at rural trading posts.

"Victim statements have increasingly indicated that the youth militia involved in organized violence of having received formal training in it," the forum said in a statement.

At one ruling party base at the Mahusekwa Growth Point, a business center and trading post 55 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Harare, abducted victims were beaten and in some cases tortured sexually, the statement said.

Of the eight victims killed around the country up to Feb. 16, four were supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, two were from Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the affiliation of two who died in violence between the ruling party and the opposition was not known.

In January the group reported 16 politically related killings, the highest monthly toll since March 2000, when ruling party militants began occupying white-owned farms. The occupations triggered much of the violence that surrounded parliamentary elections in June that year that has continued ahead of presidential elections scheduled for March 9-10.

The European Union, angered by Zimbabwe's refusal to let its observers freely monitor the elections, imposed sanctions Monday against the government and ordered its observer team home.

Human rights groups say 36 people died in political violence in 2000 and 89 last year. They say most were black opposition supporters.

President Robert Mugabe, 77, fighting for his political survival after almost 22 years of authoritarian rule, is running for re-election next month against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The Human Rights Forum said there were 159 reported cases of torture in the first 16 days of this month, compared to 142 in the whole of January.

Sexual torture, used in the run-up to the 2000 elections, resurfaced and included forced rape by men on fellow captives.

The opposition said the police have arrested or pursued few ruling party activists involved in political violence.

The youths, given green uniforms, are trained for community service activities, the government said, but witnesses have seen the youths manning roadblocks to search vehicles for opposition campaign materials.

The youths have been accused of assaulting drivers not holding ruling party membership cards and seizing thousands of identity papers needed to vote.

The Human Rights Forum claimed that militia also raided homes of rural voters and seized identity documents.

"This appears to be a wholesale elimination of eligible voters from the voters roll," the forum said.

Zimbabwe National Youth Brigade members walk past supporters at the first ruling ZANU (PF) presidential election rally in the Murehwa district, northeast of Harare, February 1, 2002. The opposition and critics claim the Youth Brigade is being used as a private army by the ruling party ahead of crucial elections scheduled for March 9-10. REUTERS/Howard Burditt

'War Veterans' training youths to hunt down opposition supporters--[Excerpt] The national chairman of the Zimbabwe Victims Rehabilitation Support Network (ZVRSN), Bopoto Nyandoro, said war veterans had also set up 10 bases in Mashonaland East where suspected opposition supporters were being tortured.

He said a field study undertaken by ZVRSN had revealed that opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters were being kidnapped, tortured and forced to reveal where their colleagues lived.

He said the 10 bases were at Irene Farm, Igava, Pondarossa, Michel, Gumbeze, Sheba, Nyagambe, Mohoroza, Tranquility and Safari Farm, all located around Macheke.

"Their (war veterans) strategy is that they kidnap and torture political opponents and force them to reveal where other supporters are living," he told the Financial Gazette. [End Excerpt]

Sixteen reported killed in upsurge of political violence as vote nears in Zimbabwe--"This is the highest number of deaths recorded in any one month since the first politically motivated murder was recorded in March 2000," the group said in a statement. The total may be higher as other deaths may have not been reported to the alliance of church and non-governmental organizations, the statement said. The deaths, along with 142 reported cases of torture, 35 kidnappings and 18 disappearances in January, contradict government claims political violence was declining, the group said. "In fact, it is increasing at an alarming rate," the statement said.

Zimbabwe farmer William Gau arrives at an emergency care center in Harare with multiple injuries after he was alledgedly attacked by two suspected war veterans on his farm in the Harare South area, Thursday, Feb 7, 2002. Thursday's attack followed an incident Wednesday in which 30 suspected government supporters trashed his workers' compound and badly injured several of his workers. (AP Photo)

A riot police officer arrests a woman protester who took part in a National Constitional Assembly March in Harare, Zimbabwe, Friday Feb 15, 2002. The march was held to press the government to accept that there is a need for a new constitution and that there should be free and fair elections next month. Twelve people were arrested during the march. (AP Photo)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.