At least 16,400 incidents of politically motivated violence occurred in Zimbabwe in in the first six months of this year, the Zimbabwe Peace Project said but the organization added that it may have missed incidents when its monitors were themselves displaced by violence.
This raised questions about an apparent significant decline in political violence in June.
The cumulative report for January-June noted an “exponential increase in human rights violations,” in May in particular with 6,288 documented incidents. Through June some 77 murders were reported across the country.Peace Project National Director Jestina Mukoko told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that violence may well have continued at high levels in June, but went
unrecorded as the project’s own monitors, like many other citizens, were
obliged to flee the most violent areas.
Meanwhile, opposition political sources said a driver abducted by armed soldiers in Buhera
South last Thursday had been released by police Friday night.
Movement for Democratic Change driver Witness Maambire said that after he was abducted, the soldiers interrogated him then handed him over to officers at Muzokomba police station where he underwent further questioning before being released the following day.
Maambire was abducted in Buhera South where he had gone to pick up victims of violence who had not been able to obtain medical care, and transport them to hospitals.
He said the soldiers never tortured him, but demanded to know why he was in the area, to which he responded that he was looking to purchase livestock for food.
MDC officials in Manicaland province said said Buhera remains a no-go area for opposition members despite calls from some ruling party officials for an end to violence.
