/ 25 April 2005

Blast on Zanzibar after activist’s body is found

An explosion rocked an office of Zanzibar’s ruling political party the day after the discovery of the body of a slain activist from the group, police said on Monday on the politically volatile Tanzanian island.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the explosion late on Sunday, which did not result in casualties but caused some damage to an office of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party, or CCM), they said.

”So far, we have arrested four people in connection a bomb blast” outside the offices in the Mpandae area, said Ramadhani Kinyogo, the deputy director of criminal investigations on the island.

”They are the main suspects as of now,” he said by phone. ”We do not know what kind of bomb it was, but our experts have gone to the scene.”

The explosion occurred the day after neighbours found the rotting corpse of a CCM activist, who had been missing for four days, under a mound of dirt on the island.

Police said two people have been detained for questioning in relation to the discovery of the body of Chande Rashid Saleh, which was covered with machete wounds.

”We have arrested two people who are assisting us with investigations into the death,” said George Kizuguto, a police spokesperson in Zanzibar town.

”We are also investigating whether it was a politically motivated killing, but we cannot rule out anything at this point,” he said.

The explosion and recovery of the corpse come amid heightened political tensions between the CCM and the opposition Civic United Front ahead of general elections due in October on the island, which enjoys a large degree of autonomy from the central Tanzanian government.

Clashes between supporters of the two sides resulting in injuries and property damage have become commonplace since last month, with each blaming the other for the outbreaks of violence.

Police have banned all political rallies, and electoral authorities have twice suspended voter registration in a bid to calm the tension.

Nearly 40 people were killed in clashes between the rival parties in the run-up to elections in 2000. — Sapa-AFP