An estimated 6 000 Zambian villagers overpowered an armed policeman and looted food aid consisting largely of maize rejected by the government because it was genetically modified, police said on Tuesday.
Southern Province Minister George Mpombo said 4 600 50-kilogramme bags of GM and non-GM staple maize were stolen at the weekend in Sizanongwe, 300 kilometres from the capital.
He said starving villagers overpowered the lone policeman after word went round that the maize was to be returned to Lusaka.
Despite the threat of starvation that faces more than two million Zambians, Zambia has imposed an outright ban on GM food aid.
Southern Province is the region hardest hit by famine in Zambia. The villagers also got away with beans, seed maize and scales donated by an international relief agency World Vision.
Some traditional chiefs in the area supported the villagers’ action, accusing the government of neglecting the people in the worst famine-stricken areas where people were surviving on wild fruits and plants. – Sapa-AFP