Ach-F
06-09-2009, 01:23 AM
300 villagers in Arusha clash with armed police
http://www.ippmedia.com/media/picture/large/Fujo.jpg
Villagers of Singisi in Tengeru, Arusha Region, walk away
with various items after they went wild following disagreement
over land ownership in the area at the weekend.
Nearly 300 people looking for land at Sing?isi village in Tengeru, Arusha Region yesterday clashed with armed police when they were trying to confiscate a 500-acre farm in the area. Many of the villagers are reported to have been admitted in West-Meru hospital due to injuries by police in their efforts to restore order. Villagers invaded the estate on Sunday midnight, saying it was only benefiting the well-to-do people, not thousands of people who were landless, according to police. They destroyed 100 acres of banana trees, three tractors and put on fire nearly 10 houses, demanding their ancestral land grabbed by the white settlers during the colonial era, police said.
Meru District Administrative Secretary (DAS) Eva Lyimo said initially villagers asked for the land with an eye to extend their local school. But the Meru District authority denied them the farm because the area had been earmarked for Southern African Development Community vegetable breeding project.
The authority later on gave them another land for the school expansion project, DAS said. He added that the villagers reported to have refused the offer on grounds that the land was wetland. Even before the dust had settled, rumours were circulating around that the land had been given to a lawmaker in one of the constituencies in the northern part of the country, reports said. They said that this provoked the villagers, who mobilised themselves and besiege the farm. Hussein Rajabu, who witnessed the event said the residents were disappointed that the government chose to sell their ancestral land to rich people, leaving hungry villagers, crowded in the tinny plots.
Police are reported to have used tear gas canisters and live bullets to scare the angry-crowds, resulting in a number of casualities. Eye witness said nearly three police officers sustained injuries after being stoned by the aggressive villagers. The battle that lasted for almost six hours saw the villagers blocking the pathway towards the farmland, stoning police officers in order to prevent anybody to interfere as they destroyed the crop. The new Arumeru District Officer, Mercy Silla, said the district authorities were struggling to meet the traditional leaders in order to the conflict settle. Arusha Regional Police commander Basilio Matei confirmed to have deployed police officers in the area, but could not give details as he was busy escorting the Prime Minister who is on an official tour of Arusha Region.
Walisema tuna ardhi kubwa ya kutosha na kuwapa wageni sasa hawa polisi wametoka wapi?
http://www.ippmedia.com/media/picture/large/Fujo.jpg
Villagers of Singisi in Tengeru, Arusha Region, walk away
with various items after they went wild following disagreement
over land ownership in the area at the weekend.
Nearly 300 people looking for land at Sing?isi village in Tengeru, Arusha Region yesterday clashed with armed police when they were trying to confiscate a 500-acre farm in the area. Many of the villagers are reported to have been admitted in West-Meru hospital due to injuries by police in their efforts to restore order. Villagers invaded the estate on Sunday midnight, saying it was only benefiting the well-to-do people, not thousands of people who were landless, according to police. They destroyed 100 acres of banana trees, three tractors and put on fire nearly 10 houses, demanding their ancestral land grabbed by the white settlers during the colonial era, police said.
Meru District Administrative Secretary (DAS) Eva Lyimo said initially villagers asked for the land with an eye to extend their local school. But the Meru District authority denied them the farm because the area had been earmarked for Southern African Development Community vegetable breeding project.
The authority later on gave them another land for the school expansion project, DAS said. He added that the villagers reported to have refused the offer on grounds that the land was wetland. Even before the dust had settled, rumours were circulating around that the land had been given to a lawmaker in one of the constituencies in the northern part of the country, reports said. They said that this provoked the villagers, who mobilised themselves and besiege the farm. Hussein Rajabu, who witnessed the event said the residents were disappointed that the government chose to sell their ancestral land to rich people, leaving hungry villagers, crowded in the tinny plots.
Police are reported to have used tear gas canisters and live bullets to scare the angry-crowds, resulting in a number of casualities. Eye witness said nearly three police officers sustained injuries after being stoned by the aggressive villagers. The battle that lasted for almost six hours saw the villagers blocking the pathway towards the farmland, stoning police officers in order to prevent anybody to interfere as they destroyed the crop. The new Arumeru District Officer, Mercy Silla, said the district authorities were struggling to meet the traditional leaders in order to the conflict settle. Arusha Regional Police commander Basilio Matei confirmed to have deployed police officers in the area, but could not give details as he was busy escorting the Prime Minister who is on an official tour of Arusha Region.
Walisema tuna ardhi kubwa ya kutosha na kuwapa wageni sasa hawa polisi wametoka wapi?